Risperdal Lawsuit Plaintiffs Are Awarded $8 Million After The Death Of A Family Member

LegalHerald.com reports on the results of a Risperdal-related lawsuit filed against manufacturer Janssen Pharmaceuticals (a division of Johnson & Johnson corporation). Risperdal is an atypical, antipsychotic drug which is designed to treat patients with a variety of disorders. The results of this lawsuit were recently announced, noting that a jury has awarded the family of a man who passed away during clinical trials conducted on the drug $8 million in compensation.

The victim in this lawsuit was only 25 years old and had suffered from schizophrenia for some time. As Risperdal has been FDA-approved to treat this condition, Janssen reportedly referred the young man to their clinical trial session. Before being approved for the trial, it was indicated that the young man was required to undergo a pre-screening. During this pre-screening, the man’s EKG test results were reported to have come back as abnormal, indicating a potential heart disease. Despite these concerning results, the man was later cleared and termed asymptomatic, and therefore allowed to participate in Risperdal clinical trials in February of 2009.

The young man’s family is understandably devastated by this approval, given the grievous outcome. In a Fox 11 News Interview, they noted, “He should have never been in that study to begin with, and when they got that lab work back, they should have said ‘You know what, we’ll go find another [test] subject.’”

According to details from court documents, after the young man was given injections of Risperdal, his condition progressively worsened. Physicians who were monitoring him noticed that he began to exhibit increasing liver enzyme levels. A subsequent EKG during this time drew attention to significantly worse heart problems. Just days after starting the clinical trial, the young man required admittance to an acute-care hospital and was being monitored there when he passed away the day after his admission.

An autopsy reportedly revealed his cause of death to be dilated cardiomyopathy, which is typically a treatable heart condition, but one that is allegedly complicated by use of Risperdal.

When interviewed during the trial, doctors indicated that the man would have had a 50% greater chance of survival if he was transferred to the acute-care hospital as soon as his elevated liver enzyme levels appeared. His family was given $8 million in compensation.

The attorneys of Banville Law understand how concerning the details of this lawsuit are for patients currently using Risperdal. Risperdal is a potent drug, and Banville Law attorneys are now working to help other patients who feel that it has negatively impacted their health. Affected patients could be entitled to substantial compensation, and are greatly encouraged to take advantage of the opportunity to evaluate their legal rights in the matter. To help those interested in exploring this avenue, Banville Law is currently offering free legal consultations for affected individuals.

To request further information, or to ask questions, please contact the attorneys of Banville Law by calling 888-997-3792.