Risperdal lawsuit awards have been recently rewarded in one of the country’s largest Risperdal coordinated litigations in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas in Pennsylvania.

This litigation now includes over 5,700 Risperdal lawsuits and has already produced several successful Risperdal lawsuit awards for a few plaintiffs. The Pennsylvania litigation has already seen seven Risperdal lawsuits go to trial since 2015, four of which concluded in different Risperdal lawsuit awards for plaintiffs ranging from $500,000 to $70 million.

In addition, several confidential settlements have been reached, resulting in some Risperdal lawsuit awards for plaintiffs in some prior cases before trial. Legal experts watching the Risperdal litigation develop expect manufacturing companies Johnons & Johnson and subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals to continue to face product liability claims alleging gynecomastia.

Gynecomastia is the clinical term for male breast growth Researchers believe gynecomastia occurs due to a hormonal balance of prolactin inside the patient’s body. Each of these Risperdal lawsuits alleges the antipyschotic had caused them to develop “man boobs” and that the pharmaceutical companies failed to warn them adequately about this side effect.

Johnson & Johnson’s recent filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission disclose that at least 16,900 Risperdal lawsuits are pending throughout the United States and Canada. With new Risperdal lawsuits continuing to rise, it is likely that more Risperdal lawsuit awards to plaintiffs will be awarded.

Overview of Risperdal Gyencomastia Allegations

Risperdal (risperidone) is a powerful atypical antipsychotic prescribed to adult and pediatric patients with extreme mental disorders.

Initially approved by the FDA in 1993, Risperdal was approved to treat adult patients with conditions like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Nearly a decade later in the mid 2000s, Risperdal was approved to treat children with similar mental illness and certain forms of autism.

However Johnson & Johnson allegedly marketed Risperdal for pediatric use years before being approved to do so, after noticing pediatricians often prescribed Risperdal for off-label uses. While it is not illegal for physicians to do this, it is illegal for manufacturing companies to market the medication for uses other than those approved by the FDA.

Many Risperdal lawsuits were filed by young boys who were prescribed the medication when they were a child and developed man boobs, or by parents of young boys. This medication works by managing the levels of dopamine and serotonin in the brain, but it allegedly also causes the body’s prolactin levels to significantly increase.

Prolactin is the hormone responsible for breast development in young girls, and it is naturally produced in small amounts in young boys. However, the interference of Risperdal allegedly causes too much prolactin to be products, resulting in male breast growth.

These Risperdal lawsuits allege the pharmaceutical companies either knew or should have known about the potential for gynecomastia, but didn’t do enough to warn the public. With the previous Risperdal lawsuit awards given to plaintiffs, potential claimants may be encouraged to consult a knowledgeable pharmaceutical products lawyer to see if they can file their own Risperdal lawsuit.