Pharmaceutical giant, the leading company Johnson & Johnson must pay $8 billion in punitive damages to a man for failing to warn that a psychiatric drug could cause female breast tissue growth in males termed gynecomastia, a jury in the US state of Pennsylvania ruled on Tuesday.
The top-rated company Johnson & Johnson has been accused of downplaying by hiding the effect of the anti-psychotic drug, the Risperdal, which could grow breast in man. It was brought to notice by a man to Philadelphia jury to subsidiary downplay at the certain risks in the marketing of the drug Risperdal.
The Philadelphia jury on Tuesday ordered J & J to pay $8 billion to a Maryland man who claimed to be a victim of the caused side effects of the product of Johnson & Johnson. It is the most significant award amongst all that has been paid by J & J in the past of over more than 13,000 lawsuits. The lawsuits claim that J & J were aware of the side effects of the drug yet understated the risks to doctors.
The man was the first petitioner who allegedly claimed of developing breast after being prescribed the drug to his diagnosis of Autism Spectrum disorder, in 2003, when he was just nine years old. He said it was the treat symptoms of using the drug for his already diagnosed Autism. The lawsuits also claim that the drug misguides the consumers of not only hiding the side effects of it of developing the growth of breasts in male but also for improperly marketing it as a treatment for certain mental disorders in children. The man did continue to take the drug Risperdal from 2003-2008 and came to notice that he was developing breasts.
Johnson & Johnson immediately called the damages awarded “grossly disproportionate” with the award amount of $1.75 million which was cut down by a judge to about $680,000.
The man who claimed to have undergone gynecomastia (The scientific terminology for growth of breast in male is known as gynecomastia) was Nicholas Murray, sued the company in 2013, where he was previously awarded $1.75 million in damages, which a judge reduced to $680,000 afterwards in February 2018. It was not very unusual of such massive verdicts to come down.
Furthermore, the plaintiff’s attorneys failed to present any evidence against the happening and concluded that the plaintiff was harmed by the alleged conduct.”
Johnson & Johnson brought in nearly $82 billion in revenue in 2018 for products like prescription drugs and such other companies as well.
The jury did observe and resounded over the happening stating that the actions of Johnson & Johnson were deliberate and malicious. The jury visualized the proceedings that, the company has chosen profit over safety and were making billions over the safety of children. The expert professor Mr Carl Tobias hailed over the verdict and conveyed a strong message to the consumers making them aware of the risks and damages that can be caused by the drug Risperdal.