Eight Million Dollars Awarded In Risperdal Wrongful Death Lawsuit

LegalHerald.com reports on an $8 million dollar reward received by the family of a man who died during a Risperdal clinical trial. The suit claims that the manufacturers of the drug, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, a division of Johnson & Johnson, were negligent in failing to properly pre-screen the 25-year-old man before the trial and ignoring signs of medical distress.

Risperdal is an atypical antipsychotic intended to treat schizophrenia, which is a condition the deceased man had suffered with. A psychiatrist allegedly referred him to the clinical trial for Risperdal and the man was pre-screened at a hospital prior to the study in which he underwent an electrocardiogram test. Reportedly the test results came back abnormal with a “possible heart disease” warning. Despite these results, the man was declared asymptomatic, and allowed to enter into the trial.

After Janssen employees allegedly failed to detect or diagnose the man’s worsening condition he passed away on February 26th, 2009 after having received an injection of Risperdal during the clinical trial. His autopsy revealed, according to the suit, that he died from dilated cardiomyopathy, which is a heart injury and “readily treatable” condition that can be “further complicated” by the use of Risperdal.

There are several side effects that have been associated with Risperdal such as gynecomastia, high blood sugar, diabetes, tardive dyskinesia, weight gain, stroke, cardiac arrest, and even sudden death in the elderly. Multiple other lawsuits have been filed against Janssen alleging that the company failed to adequately inform consumers of the potential side effects associated with the drug.

The attorneys at Banville Law understand how disconcerting these potential side effects could be for patients who are currently taking or have taken Risperdal. The firm is working to ensure that any individual who has taken the drug and suffered adverse side effects they attribute to their use of the drug will have the opportunity to explore their legal options. Affected individuals are being offered complimentary legal consultations and could be entitled to substantial compensation.

For more information on Risperdal lawsuits, or to ask questions, please contact the attorneys of Banville Law by calling (888) 997-3792.