The manufacturers of the prescription drug Risperdal are now being confronted with lawsuits from 3,000 new plaintiffs that filed a lawsuit against the company in the first three months of 2017. The new plaintiffs join a body of plaintiffs already estimated to be as high as 2,500 that have already filed lawsuits against the pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson.
Each of the plaintiffs maintains that the anti-psychotic drug caused them to suffer from gynecomastia. This medical condition can cause males to grow female breasts.
The claimants in the class action lawsuit allege that the drug giant failed to warn those prescribed the drug of these side effects. Among the plaintiffs, some ultimately underwent surgery to remove their breasts. Others allege that they suffered significant emotional baggage as a result of their growing chests.
As for this latest filing against the drug giant, it was filed in Philadelphia’s Court of Common Pleas. It’s the same courthouse in which a previous case against the drug giant was litigated in 2016. In that case, a $77 million payout was awarded to the plaintiffs in the case.
In terms of the current case that is pending, at least 80 percent of the plaintiffs reside outside of Pennsylvania. To date, Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiary Janssen have paid out settlements that add up to hundreds of millions of dollars. An uptick in has been seen in the past two years as the statute of limitations within which plaintiffs can file lawsuits begins to quickly approach.
If you have suffered an adverse side effect because you took Risperdal or another medication, then you should contact a Houston defective drug attorney to discuss the merits of your case.
Source: Drug Watch, “J&J faces 3,000 more Risperdal gynecomastia lawsuits,” Michelle Llamas, accessed July 05, 2017
