Johnson & Johnson drug lawsuit: US court slashes $8 billion verdict

A Pennsylvania court reportedly slashed an $8 billion ruling to $6.8 million against US pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson as the company failed to warn that a psychiatric drug could cause breast growth in men. According to international media reports, back in October 2019, the jury had ordered the company and its subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals to pay damages after plaintiff Nicholas Murray told the court that the drug Risperdal had made him grow breasts and J&J failed to properly warn of the risk. 

The company had reportedly asked for the amount to be reduced and argued that they were excessive and disproportionate to the $680,000 in compensatory damages awarded to Murray. While speaking to an international media outlet, a spokesperson form J&J said that although the court appropriately reduced the excessive punitive damages award, the company is still going to pursue with an appeal of the verdict. The pharmaceutical company also said that it had appropriately outlined the benefits and risks of the antipsychotic drug. 

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Murray, a Maryland resident, earlier reportedly claimed that he had been prescribed the drug back 2003, when he was 9, to treat symptoms related to autism. His lawyer, Thomas Kline in an email also reportedly said that the ruling was wrong as it wipes out a valid award of a jury and fails to punish corporate misconduct. He further also believes that when the merits are reviewed the $8 billion will be reinstated. 

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J&J denies claims

According to reports, the company is facing a series of complaints in state courts for failing to properly warn of Risperdal's side effects, including in Pennsylvania, California and Missouri. The $8 billion verdicts had also been the biggest to date among lawsuits by about 13,000 plaintiffs alleging that Risperdal caused a condition called gynecomastia in boys. The lawsuits reportedly also state that the company was aware of the risk of the side effect, but it still understated the risk to doctors. J&J had denied all the claims and said that it was precluded from presenting a meaningful defence due to the court's exclusion of key evidence. 

(With inputs from agencies)

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