As of today, there have been roughly 20,000 Risperdal gynecomastia lawsuits against the manufacturers of the anti-psychotic drug, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and Johnson & Johnson company, its parent company.

Eariler labeling for Risperdal used to state that gynecomastia was a “rare” side effect and one that in unlikely to occur. However, as being shown by the number of Risperdal lawsuits filed, Risperdal gynecomastia may be more common than previously thought.

In February, Johnson & Johnson stated that there are 18,500 Risperdal gynecomastia lawsuits in the United States and Canada. In Philadelphia, where a multi-plaintiff litigation has been pending in state court, around 3,000 Risperdal gynecomastia lawsuits were filed in the first quarter of 2017.

Risperdal Gynecomastia Lawsuits Alleged Side Effects Noted

Risperdal is an antipsychotic medication that is prescribed to treat medical conditions such as bipolar disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and other mental health issues. However, according to the plaintiffs in many Risperdal gynecomastia lawsuits, the drug causes males and young boys to develop breast tissue, a condition known as gynecomastia.

Risperdal gynecomastia lawsuits allege that Janssen Pharmaceuticals and Johnson & Johnson knew of this adverse side effect but failed to warn patients and the medical community at large.

Early Risperdal labels had warned that the development of gynecomastia from Risperdal effects fewer than one in 1,000 patients. However, 13 years after Risperdal was introduced to the market, Janssen updated the drug’s warning labels to state that in actuality the drug affects 2.3 percent of patients, roughly 20 times more than the rate originally stated.

Boys and young men who were badly affected by gynecomastia have filed legal claims alleging Janssen Pharmaceuticals failed to adequately warn them of this potential side effect. They allege that Risperdal badly affected them and transformed their bodies in such a way that shamed them and confused them.

Many boys who are now grown men have had to undergo revision surgery to remove their breast enlargements. Some of these patients had also had to lose a substantial amount of weight that they had gained while taking Risperdal before undergoing breast reduction surgery.

In addition to filing lawsuits, Risperdal victims who have been badly affected by the medication can also help in another way by raising awareness of Risperdal gynecomastia, helping hold the manufacturers responsible in the public eye.

A photographer by the name of Richard Johnson has recently published a series of photos called “Risperdal Boys.” These photos portray adult males who were badly affected after taking Risperdal and have suffered from gynecomastia. Ten photos were supposedly supposed to be taken, but four to the ten decided to not go through with their photos to be posted publicly.

Johnson told PetaPixel, “Of the young men who agreed to allow their pictures to be used, to a man, it was because they wanted the world to know what happened to them.”

He says, “Most of the young men in the project suffered alone; they’ve never met someone else with their condition.”