Risperdal Lawsuit Attorneys at Bernstein Liebhard LLP Comment on Launch of Huffington Post Highline Docu-Serial

September 16, 2015 - The Risperdal lawsuit (http://bl.risperdallawsuitcenter.com/) attorneys at Bernstein Liebhard LLP note the launch of a 15-part Docu-Serial by The Huffington Post Highline which will examine the tactics purportedly used by Johnson & Johnson to develop and market the atypical antipsychotic medication. The result of a five-month investigation, "America's Most Admired Lawbreaker" promises to provide readers with a detailed account of Johnson & Johnson's alleged efforts to circumvent the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and market Risperdal for off-label indications, including certain pediatric uses. The report asserts that these tactics helped Johnson & Johnson reap billions of dollars in profits from the sale of Risperdal, even though the company has spent more than $3 billion to resolve thousands of legal cases involving its alleged illicit promotion.

"Our Firm is representing a number of Risperdal plaintiffs who allegedly developed gynecomastia due to its use, some of whom were treated with the drug off-label when they were children. This series will likely explore a number of issues central to those claims, and we applaud The Huffington Post for bringing much-needed attention to these matters," said Sandy A. Liebhard, a partner at Bernstein Liebhard LLP, a nationwide law firm representing the victims of defective drugs and medical devices. The Firm continues to provide free legal reviews to alleged victims of Risperdal gynecomastia.

Risperdal Litigation
When Risperdal (risperidone) was initially approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in 1993, its use was limited to the treatment of adults with schizophrenia. In 2003, the FDA cleared the drug for use in adults with bipolar disorder, and in 2006 its approved indications were expanded to include the treatment of autistic children. A year later, the FDA approved Risperdal for children between the ages of 13 and 17 who exhibited symptoms of schizophrenia, as well as children between 10 and 17 who exhibited symptoms of bipolar disorder.

In November 2013, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that Johnson & Johnson and its Janssen Pharmaceuticals unit had agreed to pay $2.2 billion to settle charges that they improperly marketed Risperdal and other medications. Under the terms of the settlement, the companies pled guilty to a criminal misdemeanor charge over the illegal marketing of Risperdal for use in elderly dementia patients. However, they did not admit wrongdoing in resolving allegations that they had promoted the drug for certain pediatric indications prior to their FDA approval. According to the Department of Justice, the agreement was one the largest healthcare fraud settlements in U.S. history. (U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, 04-cv-1529)

Court documents indicate that more than 1,450 Risperdal lawsuits are currently pending in a mass tort litigation underway in Pennsylvania's Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, all of which were filed on behalf of individuals who allegedly experienced gynecomastia and other complications related to its use. The Court is currently in the midst of a bellwether trial program involving gynecomastia cases, the first of which concluded in February with a $2.5 million verdict in favor of the plaintiff. (Case No. A-196444) A second case was heard the following month, with the jury finding that Johnson & Johnson and Janssen's warnings about male breast growth were inadequate. However, the plaintiff was not awarded any monetary damages because jurors concluded that he had not proven that Risperdal caused his condition. (Case No. 130301803) An undisclosed Risperdal settlement was reached in a third gynecomastia case that had been scheduled to go to trial in May. (Case No. 130301812). Additional trials are expected to get underway next month.

Risperdal patients who allegedly developed gynecomastia connected with its use may be eligible to file their own lawsuit. To learn more about the ongoing Risperdal litigation, please contact Bernstein Liebhard LLP for a free case review by visiting the Firm's website, or by calling 800-511-5092.

About Bernstein Liebhard LLP
Bernstein Liebhard LLP is a New York-based law firm exclusively representing injured persons in complex individual and class action lawsuits nationwide since 1993. As a national law firm, Bernstein Liebhard LLP possesses all of the legal and financial resources required to successfully challenge billion dollar pharmaceutical and medical device companies. As a result, our attorneys and legal staff have been able to recover more than $3.5 billion on behalf of our clients. The Firm was named by The National Law Journal to the Plaintiffs' Hot List, recognizing the top plaintiffs firms in the country, for 12 consecutive years. Bernstein Liebhard LLP is the only firm in the country to be named to this prestigious list for a dozen consecutive years.

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Contact Information:
Sandy A. Liebhard, Esq.
info (at) consumerinjurylawyers (dot) com
http://bl.risperdallawsuitcenter.com/
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