A Philadelphia jury delivered an $8 billion verdict this week against Johnson & Johnson over claims that its anti-psychotic drug Risperdal led to breast growth in a Maryland man. 
According to the New York Times, it is the first punitive verdict against J&J subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals over breast-growth and Risperdal. There are currently more than 10,000 similar pending lawsuits across U.S. courts.
Experts said the large award could lead to settlements in pending litigation, as J&J looks to curtail potential damages.
The Philadelphia case was filed in 2013. In 2016, more than $680,000 in compensatory damages were awarded to the man, who claimed that he began taking Risperdal in 2003 to treat a mental health disorder and he developed a condition known as gynecomastia (breast growth).
Jurors determined that Janssen failed to warn the man about Risperdal’s risks while improperly marketing it as a treatment for certain mental health disorders in children in delivering the punitive damages, according to the Times.
J&J indicated that it would appeal the verdict. Risperdal is commonly used to treat disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and is sometimes prescribed to fight irritability associated with autism.
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Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/08/health/johnson-and-johnson-risperdal-verdict.html
