Risperdal News: Bernstein Liebhard LLP Notes Success of Canadian Project to Reduce Use of Risperdal, Other Antipsychotics in Elderly Dementia Patients
New York, New York (PRWEB) September 11, 2014 -- A Canadian project investigating the use of Risperdal (http://www.lawreward.com/risperdal/) and other antipsychotic medications in elderly dementia patients has reported positive outcomes when the drugs are reduced in this patient population, Bernstein Liebhard LLP reports. According to Global News, the Alberta Health Services pilot project saw the use of Risperdal, Zyprexa, Seroquel and other antipsychotics drop at 11 long-term care facilities in the province. Since the project was launched, dramatic changes have been noted in many of those patients, with a number even regaining the ability to communicate with loved ones. Because of its success, the project is now being rolled out to other nursing homes in Alberta.*
“The results of this project are extremely encouraging. As noted in hundreds of Risperdal lawsuits now pending in U.S. courts, this medication may be associated with some very serious side effects,” says Bernstein Liebhard LLP, a nationwide law firm representing the victims of defective drugs and medical devices. The Firm is currently offering free legal consultations to men and boys who allegedly developed gynecomastia, or male breast growth, due to their use of Risperdal.
Risperdal Litigation
Risperdal is an atypical antipsychotic drug that is approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to treat adult and adolescent schizophrenia, bipolar disorder in adults and children ages 10-to-17, and irritability in children (5-to-16 years of age) with autistic disorder. Among other things, the U.S. Risperdal label bears a boxed warning which notes that elderly dementia patients treated with antipsychotic medications are at an increased risk of death. According to the warning, Risperdal is not approved to treat patients with dementia-related psychosis.**
In November 2013, Johnson & Johnson and Janssen Pharmaceuticals agreed to pay $2.2 million to settle charges brought by the U.S. Department of Justice involving the marketing of Risperdal and other medications. Among other things, the drug makers pled guilty to a criminal misdemeanor and acknowledged that they had improperly marketed Risperdal for use in elderly dementia patients. However, the companies did not admit any wrongdoing in resolving civil charges regarding the promotion of Risperdal for off-label use in children. (U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, 04-cv-1529)
According to court documents, hundreds of Risperdal lawsuits are currently pending in a mass tort litigation underway in Pennsylvania’s Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, all of which claim the drug caused patients to suffer gynecomastia (male breast growth) and other serious side effects. These cases also accuse Johnson & Johnson and Janssen of improperly marketing the drug for unapproved uses, including the treatment of children and elderly dementia patients. (In Re: Risperdal Litigation, Case Number 100300296).
Alleged victims of Risperdal and gynecomastia may be entitled to compensation for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and more. To learn more about filing a Risperdal lawsuit, please visit Bernstein Liebhard LLP’s website. For a free case review, please call 800-511-5092.
*globalnews.ca/news/1557429/reducing-certain-medications-makes-huge-difference-for-some-dementia-patients/, Global News, September 10, 2014
**http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2009/020272s056,020588s044,021346s033,021444s03lbl.pdf, Risperdal Prescribing Information, FDA, 2009
About Bernstein Liebhard LLP
Bernstein Liebhard LLP is a New York-based law firm exclusively representing injured persons in complex individual and class action lawsuits nationwide since 1993. As a national law firm, Bernstein Liebhard LLP possesses all of the legal and financial resources required to successfully challenge billion dollar pharmaceutical and medical device companies. As a result, our attorneys and legal staff have been able to recover more than $3 billion on behalf of our clients. The Firm has been named by The National Law Journal to the Plaintiffs’ Hot List, recognizing the top plaintiffs firms in the country, for the past 12 consecutive years. Bernstein Liebhard LLP is the only firm in the country to be named to this prestigious list every year since it was first published in 2003.
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Felecia L. Stern, LawReward.com, http://www.lawreward.com/, +1 800-511-5092, [email protected]
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