Drug manufacturer Johnson & Johnson has had another hefty fine for downplaying the risks to its antipsychotic drug Risperdal (risperidone). An Arkansas, US judge has levied a fine of $1.1bn, which is added to the $485m penalties already imposed by other states.
The company and its subsidiary, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, were sued by the state of Arkansas for misleading doctors about the safety of the drug.
In 2004, America’s drug regulator, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), ordered the company to highlight the drug’s dangers.
Risperdal increases the risk of death and stroke in dementia patients, and can lead to seizures, major weight gain, diabetes and increase blood sugar to fatal levels in other patients – but it’s debatable just how much of that was ever relayed to doctors.
The drug has been used to treat schizophrenia, autism and bipolar patients.
(Source: BBC, 11 April, 2012).
