Risperdal Lawyers at Bernstein Liebhard LLP Note New Study Finding High Rate of Off-Label Antipsychotic Drug Use in U.K.
New York, New York (PRWEB) January 06, 2015 -- As Risperdal lawsuits (http://www.risperdallawsuit2014.com/) continue to move forward in U.S. courts, Bernstein Liebhard LLP notes the publication of a new study suggesting that antipsychotic drugs are frequently prescribed for unapproved, off-label uses in the United Kingdom. The research, which appeared online at BMJ Open on January 5th, found that more than 50% of those treated with an antipsychotic drug in the U.K. had not been diagnosed with a serious mental illness, such as bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. Notably, the study found that among patients prescribed risperidone (which is sold in the U.S. under the brand-name Risperdal), 14% were being treated for anxiety, 22% for depression, 12% for dementia, 11% for a sleep disorder and 4% for a personality disorder. The study also found that women, elderly patients, and those who were socially and economically disadvantaged were more likely to be prescribed antipsychotic drugs for off-label indications.*
“These findings are of great interest to our Firm, as we are currently representing numerous plaintiffs in Risperdal lawsuits that allege the medication caused men and boys to develop gynecomastia, or male breast growth. These and other Risperdal side effect claims currently pending in U.S. courts also allege that the drug was frequently prescribed for unapproved, off-label indications,” 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 experienced excessive breast growth due to Risperdal.
Risperdal Litigation
Risperdal (risperidone) 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.**
Court records indicate more than 1,200 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 developed gynecomastia and other serious complications related to its use. Among other things, plaintiffs allege Johnson & Johnson and its Janssen Pharmaceuticals unit improperly marketed Risperdal for off-label treatments. Specifically, Risperdal gynecomastia plaintiffs claim that the companies failed to warn that patients using the drug may experience a rise in the body’s levels of prolactin, a hormone tied to female breast development that can also cause excessive breast growth in men. (In Re: Risperdal Litigation, Case Number 100300296).
Off-label marketing of Risperdal has also been alleged on other fronts. For example, in November 2013, Johnson & Johnson and Janssen struck an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice to pay $2.2 billion to resolve criminal and civil charges regarding the marketing of several medications, including Risperdal. Among other things, the companies were accused of improperly promoting Risperdal for unapproved uses, and for concealing knowledge of its serious side effects. While Johnson & Johnson and Janssen did plead guilty to promoting Risperdal for off-label use in elderly dementia patients, court records indicate that they did not admit wrongdoing in resolving any of the other allegations, including those that involved the alleged improper marketing of the drug for unapproved pediatric indications (U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, 04-cv-1529)
Victims of gynecomastia allegedly caused by Risperdal may be entitled to pursue their own claim against Johnson & Johnson and Janssen. 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.
*bmjopen.bmj.com/content/4/12/e006135.full, BMJ Open, January 5, 2015
**accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2009/020272s056,020588s044,021346s033,021444s03lbl.pdf, FDA, June 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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ATTORNEY ADVERTISING. © 2015 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.
info (at) consumerinjurylawyers (dot) com
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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