Risperdal Lawsuit Alleges Teen Diagnosed With Gynecomastia

A Louisiana mother is one of the latest to file a product liability lawsuit that alleges side effects of Risperdal caused her teenage son to develop gynecomastia, which is a medical condition associated with the growth of breast among males. 

The complaint (PDF) was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana on December 17, indicating that the unidentified minor child of a Jefferson Parish woman was diagnosed with gynecomastia after being prescribed Risperdal, it’s injectable version Risperdal Consta, as well as the antipsychotic Invega and generic Risperidrone by various health care providers.

Johnson & Johnson, it’s Janssen Pharmaceuticals unit, Patriot Pharmaceuticals, Breen Distribution and Endo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. have all been named as defendants.

Gynecomastia side effects from Risperdal can cause the benign enlargement of breast tissue in males, not only causing physical injury, but also often resulting in severe psychological damage for the child.

Allegations raised in the complaint are similar to those brought in hundreds of other Risperdal lawsuits filed in recent years by young men or families of children diagnosed with this rare condition, indicating that the drug manufacturers withheld important information about the risk of abnormal breast growth among boys prescribed the atypical antipsychotic.

Risperdal (risperidone) and Invega (paliperidone) are atypical antipsychotic medications originally introduced for adults with schizophrenia. However, the medications have been widely used by children for bi-polar disorders, autism, irritability, aggression and behavior disorders.

Morris’s case joins a growing number of Risperdal gynecomsatia lawsuits being pursued in courts throughout the country on behalf of boys and young men who have experienced problems, with some of the complaints alleging that the drug caused the development of breasts as large as 38D cup size.

Most of the Risperdal litigation has been filed in Pennsylvania state court, where more than 1,000 gynecomastia cases are currently pending in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, where a series of early trial dates are expected to begin next year to help the parties gauge how juries may respond to certain evidence and testimony that is likely to be repeated throughout the cases.

While the outcomes of these early trial dates are not binding on other lawsuits, they may help promote negotiations to reach Risperdal settlements that avoid the need for hundreds of cases to go to trial.

This most recent Risperdal lawsuit pursues claims against the drug makers for manufacturing and designing a defective product, failure to warn, breach of warranty, strict liability, and violating federal regulations, seeking compensatory damages for past, present and future medical expenses, physical pain and suffering, mental anxiety and anguish, lost wages and earnings, loss of earning capacity, loss of enjoyment of life, and loss of consortium.