A new Philadelphia jury has begun hearing arguments regarding Risperdal side effects in boys. This seventh Risperdal case alleges that plaintiff Dean H. developed gynecomastia, the medical term for man boobs, after taking Risperdal as a child.

Dean, now 23 years old, took Risperdal for seven months when he was eight years old. The medication was intended to treat his Asperger’s syndrome.

Dean’s lawyer contends that Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals began a marketing blitz to expand Risperdal use to children, even though at the time the FDA only had approved its use for adults with schizophrenia.

The lawyer pointed to a document that said the company could make $340 million from the youth market, which was anticipated to expand ten percent each year.

Risperdal Side Effects in Boys Allegedly Kept Secret

The lawyer reiterated what other plaintiffs in other trials have said regarding Janssen’s attempts to hide the Risperdal side effects in boys as the company fought for additional FDA approval.

Former FDA Commissioner David Kessler has testified that Johnson & Johnson controlled the release of clinical findings to work in favor of releasing Risperdal to the youth market.

In 2013, Janssen admitted it had conducted “off-label” marketing of Risperdal, which means the company sold or promoted the drug for reasons other than the conditions specifically approved by the FDA. The $2 billion settlement was a result of Risperdal being marketed to dementia-afflicted elderly patients and mentally ill adolescents.

In Dean’s Risperdal lawsuit, Janssen’s lawyer has said that Dean was never diagnosed with gynecomastia by a doctor, and that Dean was overweight even before taking Risperdal. An attorney for the defendants suggested that his breast growth was a result of his obesity and had nothing to do with Risperdal side effects in boys.

However, in medical studies and in other trials, doctors have noted that the breast enlargement results from an increase of not only fatty tissue but also glandular tissue. Glandular tissue cannot be reduced by weight loss. Surgery may be the only option for glandular tissue reduction in cases of gynecomastia that don’t resolve on their own.

How Could Risperdal Cause Man Boobs?

Risperdal works by changing the chemical balance of dopamine and serotonin, reducing schizophrenic effects by improving thinking, mood and behavior. At the same time, Risperdal blocks dopamine’s regulation of the pituitary gland, which can cause an unusual spike in prolactin.

Prolactin is the hormone that controls sex drive in males and enables lactation (breast milk production) in females.

When prolactin levels reach abnormally high levels, the condition is called hyperprolactinemia, which can result in gynecomastia. The hormonal basis of this breast growth is why the tissue is more glandular than it is fatty tissue. Sometimes, Risperdal side effects in boys include a milky substance secreting from their nipples.

Gyncomastia can result in one breast becoming larger than the other, and the condition is sometimes seen in only one breast, giving the victim a lopsided chest.

The Risperdal Side Effects in Boys Lawsuit is Case No. 130600861 in the Court of Common Pleas of the State of Pennsylvania, County of Philadelphia.