Posts Tagged ‘lawsuit’

Risperdal (an antipsychotic) Lawsuits Filed Over Breast Growth Among Boys

Monday, January 11th, 2010

AboutLawsuits.com
January 11, 2010

At least 10 families have filed lawsuits against the makers of Risperdal and Invega, alleging that the antipsychotic medications, often used to treat attention deficit disorder and autism, caused teen boys to grow breasts measuring as large as a 38D cup size in some cases.

The lawsuits were filed recently in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas by the families of boys who took the medications and experienced the noticeable breast growth side effects. The Invega and Risperdal lawsuits accuse the manufacturers of negligence and fraud, and say they failed to adequately warn users about the potential male breast growth effects of the drugs when given to teen boys. Most of the lawsuits involve the use of Risperdal alone.

Risperdal (risperidone) and Invega (paliperidone) are manufactured by Janssen, a division of Ortho-McNeil-Janssen, a subsidiary of Johnson and Johnson. Risperdal is approved by FDA for the treatment of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and autism. Invega is approved for the treatment of schizophrenia.

The complaints allege that the boys experienced dramatic breast growth that was in addition to significant weight gain side effects of Risperdal and Invega. The boys’ doctors initially missed or dismissed signs of breast growth, assuming it was connected to the increases in weight. In some cases, the boys grew breasts as large as 38D, and the complaints indicate that some of the youths will require surgery for breast removal.

Read entire article: http://www.aboutlawsuits.com/risperdal-lawsuits-over-breast-growth-boys-7598/

« Return to news items


  • Share/Bookmark

Eli Lilly’ s confidential settlement with seven states over its antipsychotic drug Zyprexa

Thursday, September 24th, 2009

Bob Van Voris, Margaret Cronin Fisk and Jef Feeley
Bloomberg.com
September 21, 2009

Eli Lilly & Co. agreed to settle, on confidential terms, lawsuits filed by seven states alleging the company improperly marketed its antipsychotic drug Zyprexa, a court-appointed official said.

“All of the states have essentially settled for the same” non-monetary arrangements, said Michael Rozen, special master appointed by the court to help settlement negotiations. The money terms, which weren’t disclosed, “have fallen roughly in line,” he said at a hearing today in federal court in Brooklyn, New York.

Lawyers told U.S. District Judge Jack B. Weinstein, who is overseeing the cases, that finishing the settlements may be delayed while the parties determine how much money the U.S. government plans to claim in compensation for federal dollars spent on Zyprexa through state Medicaid programs.

If completed and approved in court, the settlements would leave four suits filed by states pending against Lilly.

Read entire article: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aUgLzDmvzVK0

« Return to news items


  • Share/Bookmark

On trial – Did drug giant GlaxoSmithKline know Paxil could cause birth defects more than 20 years ago?

Wednesday, September 16th, 2009

Jef Feeley and Margaret Cronin Fisk
Bloomberg.com
September 16, 2009

Sept. 15 (Bloomberg) — An executive of GlaxoSmithKline, the world’s second-biggest drugmaker, talked about burying negative studies linking its antidepressant drug Paxil to birth defects, according to a company memo introduced at a trial.

“If neg, results can bury,” Glaxo executive Bonnie Rossello wrote in a 1997 memo on what the company would do if forced to conduct animal studies on the drug. The memo was read during opening statements in the trial of a lawsuit brought by the family of a child born with heart defects.

The Philadelphia trial is the first of more than 600 cases alleging that London-based Glaxo knew Paxil caused birth defects and hid those risks to pump up profits. The drug, approved for U.S. use in 1992, generated about $942 million in sales last year, 2.1 percent of Glaxo’s total revenue.

The family of Lyam Kilker claims Glaxo withheld information from consumers and regulators about the risk of birth defects and failed to properly test Paxil. Kilker’s mother, Michelle David, blames Paxil for causing life-threatening heart defects in her 3-year-old son.

Read entire article: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=ah9mMl9sDitg

« Return to news items


  • Share/Bookmark