California plaintiff Benjamin A. Verkest and his mother, Lori L. McKee-Callanan, are suing Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiaries for the injuries Benjamin allegedly sustained from taking Risperdal. Benjamin and his mother allege that in direct result of taking the medication, the plaintiff suffered the symptoms of gynecomastia and severe depression.

According to the Risperdal lawsuit, Benjamin was prescribed Rispderal in 1997 in order to treat his behavioral and psychological issues. He first started experiencing behavioral problems a year earlier, when he was 5 years of age. Benjamin continued to use Risperdal until April 2001, a month before his 10th birthday. During his time on Risperdal, Benjamin allegedly experienced severe weight gain, enlarged nipples, and even the development of large breasts.

Upon discontinuing the use of Rispderal, Benjamin reported feeling a number of behavior deviations, including increased aggression, acting out, and other emotional inconsistencies. He says he still suffers from these side effects to this day, including the occurrence of gynecomastia, delayed puberty, delayed sexual development, impaired motor skills and other health complications. Benjamin and his mother bring this lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson, claiming the company failed to provide adequate warnings about the Risperdal side effects.

According to the Risperdal lawsuit, there were no indications that Risperdal could cause male breast growth, nor had the company made any effort to notify them of the potential dangers. Benjamin and his mother assert that the drug manufacturer had the responsibility to warn patients about the side effects of their medications, because they are relying on the information given at the time.  Benjamin states that if he had known about the Risperdal side effects, he never would have taken the medication.

Overview of Risperdal Complications

Risperdal is currently one of the most popular antipsychotic medications used in the United States. It was approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in 1993 to treat schizophrenia in adult and adolescent patients, and has since been prescribed to more than 10 million people. This drug alone generates more than $2.1 billion in sales annually for Janssen Pharmaceutical and Johnson & Johnson. However, company records show that Risperdal was widely prescribed to treat pediatric patients with bipolar disorder between 1996 and 1997, when the drug was not approved for these uses until a decade later.

Risperdal differs from most antipsychotics because it works by blocking the neurotransmitter dopamine. Dopamine is a brain chemical that controls the brain’s motivation, pleasure, movement, and frontal cortex function. Essentially, this chemical controls the patient’s motivation and reward functions. Other antipsychotics focus on other chemicals in the brain, and aim to stabilize the entire organ as a whole, rather than focus on one specific neurotransmitter.

Despite the praise the drug has received for its unique process, it was recently discovered that Risperdal may cause gynecomastia in male patients. Gynecomastia is the development of breast tissue in men, and comes with several other side effects such as enlarged nipples, nipple discharge and pain.

Rispderal Litigation Movement

According to The New York Times, between the years 1993 and 2008, more than 1,200 children have suffered serious complications in connection with taking Risperdal, including 31 deaths. Risperdal lawsuits are being filed across the country, and motions to retrieve the documents from Janssen have started. Several Risperdal trials against Janssen and Johnson & Johnson have been set to begin early June 2014.

The Risperdal lawsuit is Benjamin A. Verkest, et al. v. Johnson & Johnson, et al., Case No. 3:14-cv-00106-JM-JMA, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.