Risperdal is a powerful antipsychotic medication
that’s been linked to a number of adverse side effects. If your
quality of life has been negatively affected because you were
prescribed this drug, a lawyer may be able to help you protect your
legal rights.
What Is Risperdal?
Risperdal is the trade name for the second-generation antipsychotic medication risperidone. It’s one of the few antipsychotic medications that are approved for use in both juveniles and adults, and it’s prescribed for the treatment of schizophrenia, bipolar syndrome and behavioral complications associated with autism in children. In its off-label capacity, the medication has also been given to elderly adults with dementia. Risperdal’s mechanism of action is not entirely understood, but it’s thought to reduce the neurotransmission of dopamine along mesolimbic pathways.
Risperdal is manufactured by Janssen Pharmaceuticals, which is a subsidiary of pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson. Despite competition from generic risperidone, in 2013, Janssen Pharmaceuticals earned more than $1.5 billion from sales of Risperdal.
What Is Risperdal?
Risperdal is the trade name for the second-generation antipsychotic medication risperidone. It’s one of the few antipsychotic medications that are approved for use in both juveniles and adults, and it’s prescribed for the treatment of schizophrenia, bipolar syndrome and behavioral complications associated with autism in children. In its off-label capacity, the medication has also been given to elderly adults with dementia. Risperdal’s mechanism of action is not entirely understood, but it’s thought to reduce the neurotransmission of dopamine along mesolimbic pathways.
Risperdal is manufactured by Janssen Pharmaceuticals, which is a subsidiary of pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson. Despite competition from generic risperidone, in 2013, Janssen Pharmaceuticals earned more than $1.5 billion from sales of Risperdal.
Risperdal Side Effects
Although Risperdal is associated with fewer extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS) than first-generation antipsychotic medications, higher doses of the medication are still associated with jerky, involuntary motions of head, neck, and limbs and other EPS symptoms.
Risperdal appears to be associated with enlargement of the pituitary gland and tumor development in the pituitary gland. Risperdal also increases the secretion of prolactin, which is a hormone associated with the development of breast tissue. A significant number of male children and adolescents who’ve been prescribed Risperdal have gone on to develop gynecomastia, which is abnormal breast development in males.
Risperdal is linked a higher incidence of cardiac arrhythmias in patients of all ages but particularly in elderly patients with dementia. In 2005, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration required Johnson & Johnson to begin marketing the medication with a black box warning explicitly noting that elderly dementia patients who take this medication face an increased risk of death.
Risperdal Litigation
In 2012, Johnson & Johnson paid $181 million to settle claims in 36 states that were associated with the company’s promotion of Risperdal for such off-label uses as dementia and anger management. The following year, the company was fined $2.2 billion by the U.S. Department of Justice for its promotion of Risperdal as a dementia control agent.
More than 1,500 lawsuits have been brought against Johnson & Johnson on behalf of male adolescents and children who developed gynecomastia. In 2016, when a Philadelphia court awarded one such young man $70 million for emotional distress associated with gynecomastia, the court noted that Johnson & Johnson had failed to warn the young man or his family adequately that gynecomastia might be one of the side effects associated with the drug. Other suits have been brought on behalf of Risperdal patients who’ve been diagnosed with pituitary tumors.
If you or a loved one has suffered adverse effects that may be associated with the use of Risperdal, you may be able to bring a Risperdal lawsuit. Speak with an experienced lawyer to review your legal options.
Although Risperdal is associated with fewer extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS) than first-generation antipsychotic medications, higher doses of the medication are still associated with jerky, involuntary motions of head, neck, and limbs and other EPS symptoms.
Risperdal appears to be associated with enlargement of the pituitary gland and tumor development in the pituitary gland. Risperdal also increases the secretion of prolactin, which is a hormone associated with the development of breast tissue. A significant number of male children and adolescents who’ve been prescribed Risperdal have gone on to develop gynecomastia, which is abnormal breast development in males.
Risperdal is linked a higher incidence of cardiac arrhythmias in patients of all ages but particularly in elderly patients with dementia. In 2005, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration required Johnson & Johnson to begin marketing the medication with a black box warning explicitly noting that elderly dementia patients who take this medication face an increased risk of death.
Risperdal Litigation
In 2012, Johnson & Johnson paid $181 million to settle claims in 36 states that were associated with the company’s promotion of Risperdal for such off-label uses as dementia and anger management. The following year, the company was fined $2.2 billion by the U.S. Department of Justice for its promotion of Risperdal as a dementia control agent.
More than 1,500 lawsuits have been brought against Johnson & Johnson on behalf of male adolescents and children who developed gynecomastia. In 2016, when a Philadelphia court awarded one such young man $70 million for emotional distress associated with gynecomastia, the court noted that Johnson & Johnson had failed to warn the young man or his family adequately that gynecomastia might be one of the side effects associated with the drug. Other suits have been brought on behalf of Risperdal patients who’ve been diagnosed with pituitary tumors.
If you or a loved one has suffered adverse effects that may be associated with the use of Risperdal, you may be able to bring a Risperdal lawsuit. Speak with an experienced lawyer to review your legal options.
