Risperdal was approved for the treatment of irritability in children with autism in 2006 and the same year a clinical study performed at Duke University showed that the drug was associated with potentially serious risks, including weight gain and gynecomastia (male breast growth).

In recent years, Johnson & Johnson has been facing a growing number of Risperdal lawsuits brought on behalf of teens and young adults, which allege that the drug maker failed to adequately warn consumers or the medical community about the risks associated with the medication. In some cases, plaintiffs indicate that boys using Risperdal have developed breasts measuring as large as a 38D cup size, often resulting in the need for surgical removal of the breasts.

One of these Risperdal lawsuits involved an autistic Alabama man, Austin P., who developed large male breasts after taking Risperdal. Austin reportedly developed size 46 DD breasts during his teenage years, after being prescribed Risperdal at the age of eight to help with irritability issues related to his autism. The doctor who prescribed the drug and the young man’s parents claim they were unaware of the fact that studies conducted by Risperdal’s makers showed use of the drug could lead to gynecomastia. The jury concluded it was a clear case of the company’s failure to warn about a potentially dangerous or defective drug and awarded Austin and his family $2.5 million.

Experts Warn About Risperdal Use For Autism Treatment

While experts indicate that Risperdal definitely helps autistic children like Austin focus on other methods of treatment, they also warn that it carries a serious risk of weight gain and fatigue. On average, children given Risperdal experience about six pounds of weight gain within eight weeks of beginning therapy. While that may not seem like much to a 140-pound adult, for a 60-pound boy that gain is significant. Due to the known weight gain associated with the drug, these Risperdal male breast growth problems are often not immediately diagnosed until the breast growth significantly outpaces the weight gain.

However, Johnson & Johnson continues to assert that weight gain is not an adverse side effect of Risperdal in the treatment of autistic patients, instead implying that the link between autism and weight gain is actually because autistic children have a tendency to eat higher calorie foods and are less active than other children.  In the Risperdal lawsuit mentioned above, a pediatric psychiatrist actually testified on behalf of Johnson & Johnson, claiming that clinical trials support that Risperdal is a safe and effective treatment for symptoms associated with autism and dismissing allegations that Risperdal alone causes extreme weight gain in autistic children.

Risperdal Gynecomastia Lawsuits

Young men and the families of boys who have been injured by Risperdal have already filed lawsuits. People like Austin P. are representative of some of the claimants who held Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiary, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, accountable for their Risperdal injuries.

Johnson & Johnson continues to claim that breast development is normal for boys going through puberty and have defended themselves by claiming that their product contains adequate warnings. However, plaintiffs argue that the company did not properly disclose the health risks for Risperdal because it wasn’t even allowed to market to youth prior to 2006.