Risperdal lawsuits have nearly tripled during the first six months of 2017. More than 5,500 cases over Janssen Pharmaceuticals’ anti-psychotic medication now crowd  Philadelphia courts.  In January 2017, only 2,000 Risperdal lawsuits were in the Philadelphia system.

Janssen is a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson. The defendants recently terminated tolling agreements that had effectively waived the statute of limitations, most likely sparking the glut of new filings.

Nearly all of the lawsuits revolve around the development of gynecomastia, the development of breast tissue in young men and boys.

Risperdal Lawsuits Allege Concealment of Facts

Risperdal was FDA-approved in 1993 to treat adults combating schizophrenia. Risperdal belongs to a class of drugs called dopamine antagonists, which work by binding to the dopamine receptors in the front of the brain where they are responsible for integrating emotions, perceptions and self-control. An abnormal increase in dopamine activity is thought to induce schizophrenia and other types of psychosis which include breaks from reality. More than two million Americans suffer from this chronic, disabling mental disorder that causes them to experience hallucinations, delusions, disordered thinking, movement disorders and social withdrawal.

In the first years Risperdal was on the market, Janssen had not received FDA approval to market Risperdal for use in children, but many minors still received Risperdal prescriptions to treat everything from depression to ADHD. Janssen allegedly knew that Risperdal’s side effects could include breast development in boys and men at least six years before the medication’s label included such a warning.

According to the lawsuits, Risperdal causes men to develop gynecomastia because the drug interferes with the pituitary gland, which makes a hormone known as prolactin. Pregnant women see a rise in prolactin because the hormone is essential for the creation of breast milk. In some young boys and men, the breasts they develop from gynecomastia can leak a milky substance.

In three Risperdal lawsuits, Johnson and Johnson paid $500,000, $2.5 million and $1.75 million respectively in compensation for damages that were attributed to inadequate drug warnings. The company paid more than $2.2 billion in fines in November 2013, in part over its marketing of Risperdal. A boy who started taking Risperdal in 2003 and developed gynecomastia was awarded $70 million in 2016 after he claimed he was relentlessly targeted by bullies because of his condition.

The appearance of developed breasts worsens with weight gain, which is another possible side effect, according to Risperdal lawsuits. Unfortunately, weight loss will not reduce the size of the breasts, which are the result of glandular tissue development. For some patients, only surgery can reduce the size of breasts created by gynecomastia.

Risperdal Lawsuits Indicate Other Adverse Effects

Children can also develop painful movement disorders, such as tardive dyskinesia, which causes involuntary movements of the tongue, lips, face, trunk and extremities. Another possible movement disorder called dystonia causes a patient to make uncontrollable sounds. Risperdal also has been linked to increased risks of type-2 diabetes, high blood pressure and rapid heart rate.

If you or someone you love has taken Risperdal and developed gynecomastia, you could benefit from speaking with an attorney regarding a possible Risperdal lawsuit.