The antipsychotic drug Risperdal drastically increases the risk of gynecomastia, the development of  breast tissue in men, a new study finds.

This study was presented in March at the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry (AAGP) 2014 Annual Meeting, and stated that male patients who used Risperdal were 69 percent more likely to experience breast development, than patients who used other medications. The other medications used in this study included Zyprexa and Seroquel.

According to the authors of this study, it was the first mass data collection of Risperdal-induced gynecomastia victims, drawing from more than one million Rispderal patients.  From that, the researchers found 8,285 cases of gynecomastia.  While the study only consisted of data from older men, researchers assesed that gynecomastia can occur at any age, based on injury reports.

Overview of Risperdal Complications

Risperdal is currently one of the most popular antipsychotic medications used in the United States, with its popularity being highest among pediatric patents.

It was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1993 to treat schizophrenia in adult and adolescent patients, and has been prescribed to over 10 million people since.

It generates over $2.1 billion in sales annually for Janssen Pharmaceuticals, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson.

Risperdal was introduced to the market in the late 1990s, but wasn’t approved for pediatric uses until 2006.

Currently, Rispderal is approved to treat adult and adolescent patients with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder in adults and children ages 10 to 17 years old. It is also approved to treat irritability in autism children 5 to 16 years old. Occasionally, Risperdal is prescribed for off-label uses, including ADHD treatment for children.

The mechanism in Risperdal is unique compared to other antipsychotic because it works by blocking the brain’s pleasure neurotransmitter, dopamine. Dopamine is a brain chemical, which primarily coordinates the brain’s motivation, pleasure, movement, and frontal cortex function. Other antipsychotics focus on other brain chemicals and try to stabilize all of them at once, rather than have the brain’s function be altered by one chemical.

Risperdal is often chosen by pediatric psychiatrists, because the patients do not feel severe emotional or physical side effects after taking the drug. However, this opinion is changing based on the recent revelation that the drug is linked to gynecomastia.

Risperdal Class Action Lawsuit, Personal Injury Lawsuits Grow

More than 200 Risperdal lawsuits have been filed in a consolidated litigation movement in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas in Pennsylvania.  Each of these lawsuits were filed by plaintiffs who allegedly suffered form gynecomastia and other serious side effects from taking Risperedal. They also allege that that Johnson & Johnson and Janssen Pharmaceuticals had taken active measures to hide this side effect of the drug, despite having full knowledge of it.

These cases may be combined into a single legal proceeding called a Mass Tort. A Mass Tort is a type of group lawsuit, like the more familiar class action lawsuit. In both a Risperdal class action lawsuitand a Mass Tort, a group of people allege that they have suffered harm at the hands of the same defendant. In a Risperdal class action lawsuit, typically the group of plaintiffs are organized as a group from the earliest stages of the lawsuit. However, in Mass Torts, plaintiffs file separate lawsuits across various court districts, which are later coordinated and consolidated into a single MDL. In drug lawsuits, MDLs are more common than class action lawsuits.

According to court documents, Johnson& Johnson and Janssen sold the drug for improper purposes to treat children until its official approval in 2006.

An investigation launched by the Department of Justice on November 4, 2013, found these allegations to be true, which lead to criminal charges being brought against the companies. Johnson & Johnson and Janssen agreed to pay $2.2 billion to settle charges that they improperly marketed Risperdal and other medications.

Men and boys who allegedly developed Risperdal gynecomastia are encouraged to seek legal representation, because they are likely to qualify for compensation.