Johnson & Johnson's (J&J) bid to overturn a $70 million jury verdict has been rejected by the U.S. supreme court as the company failed to warn the users about the risks associated with their product Risperdal, an antipsychotic drug.
In 2016, the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas ruled that J&J failed to warn about the side effects of Risperdal to a patient who started using the drug at the age of 4. The patient developed gynecomastia a year later. Gynecomastia is a hormonal imbalance that causes swelling of breast tissue in boys and men.
Responding to the lawsuit, attorneys for J&J argued that the drug was not meant for pediatric use and the company even warned about its side effects. The Philadelphia jury disagreed with the J&J's defense and also claimed that the company mishandled the evidence that could expose the company.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is overseeing the drug label warnings, but dosage and treatment of patients outside the FDA's approval is a common thing among doctors.
In 1993, the FDA approved Risperdal for prescribing to people suffering from schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Later in 2006, the drug was approved for children suffering from irritability due to autism.
Currently, the company is facing about 10,000 Risperdal lawsuits. Earlier, in one of the verdicts, the jury penalised the company with $8 billion which was later revised to $6.8 million.
