As Risperdal Lawsuits Move Forward, Bernstein Liebhard LLP Notes New Study Finding Increased Risk of Heart Events in Elderly Treated with Antipsychotic Drugs

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This study just confirms the fact that powerful antipsychotic drugs like Risperdal can be associated with some very serious side effects.

New York, New York (PRWEB) January 07, 2014

As Risperdal lawsuits, (http://www.risperdallawsuitcenter.com/) including many that allege a connection between the use of Risperdal and gynecomastia (male breast growth), continue to move forward in courts around the U.S., a new study has found that elderly people treated with Risperdal and other antipsychotic drugs may face a substantially increased risk for a major adverse cardiovascular disease event. The study, which was based on a review of Danish health records involving more than 1 million people, found that the risk was highest during the first month of treatment, and that it remained elevated among patients who were 70 or older. The research was presented in November at the American Heart Association scientific sessions in Dallas.*

“We have heard from numerous individuals concerned about the alleged connection between Risperdal and male breast growth. This study just confirms the fact that powerful antipsychotic drugs like Risperdal can 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 evaluating Risperdal lawsuits on behalf of young men and boys who may have developed gynecomastia due to their use of the drug.

Risperdal Lawsuits
Risperdal is an atypical antipsychotic drug that has been approved in the U.S. as a treatment for 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.**

On November 4th, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that Johnson & Johnson had agreed to pay $2.5 million to resolve criminal and civil charges over the way it promoted Risperdal and other drugs. Among other things, federal prosecutors had alleged that the company marketed Risperdal for off-label use in children and elderly dementia patients. The government had also charged Johnson & Johnson with concealing Risperdal side effects, including an association between Risperdal and male breast growth. (U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, 04-cv-1529)

According to court documents filed in Pennsylvania’s Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, more than 200 Risperdal lawsuits are pending in a consolidated proceeding underway in that venue, all of which allege use of the medication caused patients to suffer a variety of serious side effects. Dozens of these complaints were filed on behalf of young men and boys who allegedly developed gynecomastia due to their use of Risperdal. Among other things, plaintiffs claim that Johnson & Johnson promoted use of the drug in children before it was approved for pediatric indications in 2006, and that the company concealed the drug’s serious risks. (In Re: Risperdal Litigation, Case Number 100300296)

Young men and boys who may have developed gynecomastia due to their use of Risperdal could be entitled to compensation from Johnson & Johnson. 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.

*abstractsonline.com/plan/ViewAbstract.aspx?mID=3281&sKey=afea4770-3430-4709-9a8a-011171b48138&cKey=5a0d570b-2501-4e25-b6d9-7e5b8ae54000&mKey=951e351e-429c-4b2e-84d0-8da73b00de45, American Heart Association, November 2013
**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, including those who have been harmed by dangerous drugs, defective medical devices and consumer products. 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 11 consecutive years.

Bernstein Liebhard LLP
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800-511-5092

ATTORNEY ADVERTISING. © 2014 Bernstein Liebhard LLP. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Bernstein Liebhard LLP, 10 East 40th Street, New York, New York 10016, 800-511-5092. Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future matter.

Contact Information:
Felecia L. Stern, Esq.
Bernstein Liebhard LLP
info (at) consumerinjurylawyers (dot) com
http://www.risperdallawsuitcenter.com/
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