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A $1.75 million verdict was recently awarded in the third case against Janssen Pharmaceuticals of Johnson & Johnson for allegedly failing to warn patients of the risks of gynecomastia in connection with the antipsychotic drug Risperdal.

Gynecomastia is the development of female-like breasts in boys and young men. Risperdal was found by a jury to be a “substantial factor” in causing a Maryland boy to grow breasts when he first started taking the drug in 2003.

Risperdal Case Overviews

The result was the third jury verdict in Sheller, P.C. mass tort litigation involving Risperdal and plaintiffs alleging the drug caused gynecomastia. Jason Itkin of Arnold & Itkin was first-chair counsel during the trial. Previous juries have returned one verdict for the plaintiff and one in favor of the defense. In both of those trials, Sheller worked with first-chair trial counsel Tom Kline of Kline & Specter.

  • A jury awarded $2.5 million to plaintiff Austin Pledger in February. But in March, a jury in plaintiff William Cirba’s case favored the defense, Janssen Pharmaceuticals.
  • Another case, involving plaintiff Tim Stange, has been ongoing for weeks and is expected to conclude soon.

Sheller, P.C., has teamed up with other attorneys across the country and together represents more than 8,000 clients in cases against Janssen Pharmaceuticals.

In an interview, Stephen Sheller said, “No kid or child should ever be on this drug, period.”

Competing drugs that treat the same issues haven’t caused gynecomastia in men which, Sheller said, means the side effects are an issue specifically associated with Risperdal use.

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