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  4.  – Johnson & Johnson Pleads Guilty to Criminal Charges and is Fined $2.2 Billion for Improperly Marketing Risperdal

Johnson & Johnson Pleads Guilty to Criminal Charges and is Fined $2.2 Billion for Improperly Marketing Risperdal

| Nov 5, 2013 | Drug and Medical Device Litigation

Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (JPI), a Johnson and Johnson company, has pled guilty to claims stemming from allegations that the giant pharmaceutical company knowingly marketed the anti-psychotic drug Risperdal for inappropriate uses and paid kickbacks to doctors and nursing homes in prescribing the drug.  JPI will plead guilty to one misdemeanor violation of the Food Drug and Cosmetic Act for overstepping the rules in marketing Risperdal.  They will pay a $400 million criminal fine and $1.25 billion in a separate civil settlement for this drug.

Click here to read the full New York Times article: J.&J. to Pay $2.2 Billion in Risperdal Settlement

Risperdal was approved in 1993 for use in adults and was later used to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder in children and teens.  Under federal law, drug makers can promote only the approved uses of their medicines, but doctors are free to write prescriptions for other uses.  Some physicians prescribed Risperdal to children and adolescents before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave its OK in 2007 for use in children and adolescents suffering from bipolar disorder and in adolescents with schizophrenia.

Johnson & Johnson, makers of the DePuy ASR artificial hips, and the Ethicon Gynecare transvaginal mesh products, will have to pay $2.2 billion in this Risperdal settlement, which includes two other drugs.  Initially in 2012, Johnson & Johnson balked at settling these claims.  Previously, J&J looked to avoid admitting to conduct that could affect the outcome of pending personal-injury lawsuits alleging Risperdal caused serious side effects in kids.

The practices of improper marketing and failure to warn are at the heart of the current DePuy and transvaginal mesh litigation that Johnson & Johnson faces.  Drug manufacturers have historically been shown to engage in improper marketing practices, paying kickbacks to prescribers, concealing essential information consumers and their physicians need to know, denying all of that conduct beyond scores of corporate attorneys in litigation, then attempting to quietly settle the concealment and improper marketing claims with the federal or State authorities once the civil litigation has drawn near a close.

Contact Our Experienced San Francisco Drug Recall Lawyers Today

At the Brandi Law Firm, we help people throughout the country who have been harmed because of a defective drug or medical device such as women contracting type two diabetes while using Lipitor, people suffering from bladder cancer while using Actos,  Fosamax users suffering atypical femur fractures, DePuy ASR hip users requiring revisions or suffering toxic poisoning, and women suffering significant pain, erosion and removal of vaginal mesh.  Instead of treating all victims of defective drugs and medical devices the same we take a different, more personalized approach with a team of experienced defective drug attorneys and paralegals working for every client.  Our goal is to provide you with information about your legal options and to help you pursue compensation and holding these drug companies responsible for their dangerous actions.  Please contact the Brandi Law Firm today (1-800-481-1615 or email us) to talk with the experienced San Francisco defective drug attorneys.

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