Risperdal Maker Agrees To $2.2 Billion Settlement

[Jefferson23]

By Melissa Healy, Los Angeles Times/MCT

November 6, 2013

The world’s eighth-largest drugmaker, Johnson & Johnson, has agreed to pay the U.S. government $2.2 billion to settle cases in which the government has alleged that the company and its subsidiaries promoted powerful psychiatric medications for uses not approved by the Food and Drug Administration and offered financial kickbacks for physicians who prescribed those medications frequently.

The Justice Department says the agreement announced this week, which has been years in the making, is one of the largest healthcare fraud settlements in U.S. history, with criminal fines totaling $485 million and civil and administrative penalties totaling $1.72 billion. Some of that penalty will go to states, which have joined the suit on the argument that the company’s improper marketing defrauded those states of funds intended to insure care for the poor and people with disabilities.

The cases involve three medications — the antipsychotic drugs Risperdal and Invega and the heart-failure drug Natrecor — made by Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiaries Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc. of Titusville, N.J. (Risperdal and Invega) and Scios Inc. of Sunnyvale, Calif. (Natrecor). For 22 months ending Dec. 31, 2003, the federal government alleged, Janssen’s sales force actively promoted the use of the company’s antipsychotic medications for elderly patients with confusion or dementia, despite evidence that they increase the risk of stroke in such patients.

In a related complaint filed in Pennsylvania, the government has alleged that Janssen promoted the use of Risperdal from 1999 to 2005 for elderly dementia patients and to treat problematic behavior in other patients, including children, with developmental disabilities. From 2006 to 2009, the government alleges, Janssen promoted Invega for use with many of the same patients and lied about its record of safety and effectiveness.

in full: http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2013/11/06/risperdal-maker-settlement/18869/

[dixiegrrrrl]

1. The doctors share the blame in this.

Way too many docs do not read up on the drugs they prescribe.
Hell, it only takes 5 minutes of a search to see if drugs are being used for off label purposes,
and to get a list of side effects.

I like my doc, but told her from day one I would research every drug she prescribed.
She is pretty knowledgeable about what she prescibes, thankfully.

[Jefferson23]

3. They do share the blame, and all children prescribed these drugs was unacceptable, should

not have happened.

[Barack_America]

2. The new antipsychotics are being grossly overused...

...to treat depression, behavioral issues, even insomnia, which is alarming as they are known for some pretty significant side effects.

[liberal_at_heart]

4. I sure am glad I never got pharmaceutical treatment for my autistic son. I'm not against all

pharmaceuticals. My husband takes a few that really help him a lot. But I've always been a little hesitant about giving a child whose brain is still developing, pharmaceuticals. I never even tried the gluten free diet with my son. I figured once he became old enough to make his own food choices he probably wouldn't stick to that kind of a diet anyway. He is a happy, healthy young man and although I am not happy with the way the school system has treated him, I think the way he takes all in stride is magnificent. I feel so bad for these children who already have a learning disability and then they have to deal with the disfiguring side effects of this drug. I hope they can still live happy, healthy lives.

[Jefferson23]

5. +1 . Sounds like your son has a wonderful Mom and advocate in you.

Best wishes to him for his continued success.

[aroach]

6. My autistic son was prescribed Risperdal

We ended up quitting his psychiatrist because the man would not even entertain the notion that my son did not need the drug. I felt that he was automatically prescribing it to any child with an autism diagnosis for no real reason. Now I know what the reason likely was.

We don't do gluten-free either. I imagine we'd all starve to death trying to do any kind of special diet with our grocery budget. I have to make pasta nearly every night.