As Risperdal Lawsuits Mount in U.S. Courts, Bernstein Liebhard LLP Notes Kansas Proposal to Increase Regulation of Antipsychotic Drugs
New York, New York (PRWEB) November 30, 2014 -- As Risperdal lawsuits (http://www.risperdallawsuit2014.com/) continue to mount in U.S. courts, Bernstein Liebhard LLP notes that law makers in Kansas are considering a proposal that would increase the regulation of Risperdal and other antipsychotic drugs by the state’s Medicaid program. According to KCUR.org, Kansas law currently prevents the program from utilizing prior authorization and preferred drug lists to control the costs of mental health treatments prescribed to Medicaid recipients. But a legislative committee has recommended that the law be repealed.*
Lawmakers first began mulling changes to the law after the Kansas Health Policy Authority reported that 17% of children on Medicaid were receiving antipsychotics like Risperdal, even though only about 1% had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, schizophrenia or other mental health conditions that the medications are approved to treat. According to KCUR.org, the Authority maintained that the class of medications should be subject to more regulatory scrutiny because of their high-rate of off-label use for unapproved conditions.
“Our Firm is representing numerous men and boys in Risperdal lawsuits who allegedly developed gynecomastia due to the medication’s side effects. These lawsuits also allege that the medication was often used off-label, especially in the treatment of children,” 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. However, recent research suggests that Risperdal is also prescribed for children with ADHD, although it has not been specifically cleared for this use by regulators.**
According to court documents, more than 1,000 Risperdal lawsuits are now pending in a mass tort litigation underway in Pennsylvania’s Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, where Bernstein Liebhard LLP is actively filing claims. All of these lawsuits were filed on behalf of individuals who allegedly suffered serious side effects related to its use, including gynecomastia, a condition marked by the excess development of breast tissue in boys and men. Among other things, the Risperdal gynecomastia claims accuse Johnson & Johnson and its Janssen Pharmaceuticals unit of failing to warn patients and doctors that the medication can cause the body to produce excess amounts of prolactin, a hormone tied to female breast growth and lactation. The companies are also accused of improperly marketing Risperdal for off-label pediatric uses. (In Re: Risperdal Litigation, Case Number 100300296).
Johnson & Johnson and Janssen were also accused of improperly marketing Risperdal and other drugs by the U.S. Department of Justice in a case that was settled last November. Among other things, the companies pled guilty to a single criminal misdemeanor charge of misbranding Risperdal as a treatment for elderly dementia patients. However, they did not admit wrongdoing in resolving the charges pertaining to the marketing of Risperdal for children. According to the Department of Justice, the $2.2 billion settlement was among the largest healthcare fraud settlements in U.S. history. (U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, 04-cv-1529)
Men and boys who allegedly developed gynecomastia due to their use of Risperdal may be able to recover compensation for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering and other damages. 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.
*kcur.org/post/kansas-effort-tighten-regulation-mental-health-drugs-raises-concerns, KCUR.org, November 24, 2014
**health.usnews.com/health-news/news/articles/2012/08/07/more-kids-taking-antipsychotics-for-adhd-study, U.S. News & World Report, August 7, 2012
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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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.
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http://www.risperdallawsuit2014.com/
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Felecia L. Stern, Risperdal Gynecomastia Lawsuit Center, http://www.risperdallawsuit2014.com/, +1 800-511-5092, [email protected]
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