Users of Risperdal are at a higher risk of suffering gynecomastia than non users according to new research presented at the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry 2014 annual meeting.
Risperdal is an antipsychotic drug used to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The drug is the subject of a large number of lawsuits alleging the drug caused gynecomastia.
“Patient’s deserve to have full access to the safety information regarding any drug they are considering taking,” commented Megan McBride, an attorney with the Levin, Papantonio law firm who practices in the areas of Mass Tort and bad drug litigation. “Unfortunately, pharmaceutical companies sometimes fail to own up to risks associated with their product, and will go to great lengths to keep these risks from being disclosed to the public.
Gynecomastia is a condition in which the breast tissue in males becomes enlarged.
The research even suggested that Risperdal is more likely to cause gynecomastia than other drugs in the same category.
The efficacy of Risperdal compared to these other drugs is in question compared to the other drugs as well, drugs like paliperidone or quetiapine.
The drug manufacturer’s, Janssen’s, parent company Johnson & Johnson agreed to pay $2.2 billion to settle claims that had been filed under the False Claims Act last year. That lawsuit alleged that the drug manufacturer was marketing Risperdal for off-label use, which is illegal.
Joshua is a writer and researcher with Ring of Fire. You can follow him on Twitter @Joshual33.