J&J Ordered To Pay $8 Bln In Case Over Male Breast Growth On Anti-psychotic Drug

(RTTNews) - A Philadelphia jury ordered that Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) must pay $8 billion in punitive damages to a man who claimed the company failed to warn that boys using its Risperdal anti-psychotic drug could grow breasts.

The Philadelphia Common Pleas Court jury agreed that Janssen Pharmaceuticals, a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary, engaged in a "pervasive nationwide effort to illegally market Risperdal and downplay its very serious risks on a systemic level."

The case was brought by a Maryland resident, Nicholas Murray who "developed female breast tissue" after taking Risperdal, the Court record showed. In 2015, Murray had won $680,000 in compensatory damages over his claims.

Johnson & Johnson called the $8 billion award a "clear violation of due process" and said it would immediately appeal the verdict.