Risperdal Drug Maker Faces $1B in Lawsuits, Yet Mother Charged for Refusing Use on Child
by Monica G. YoungWhat irony. Detroit mother, Maryanne Godboldo, was just charged with child neglect for refusing to obey a Child Protective Services order to give her daughter Risperdal, a powerful psychoactive drug. Meanwhile federal and multiple state prosecutors are suing Johnson & Johnson for deceptively marketing the drug - including mismarketing its use on children - and hiding dangerous adverse effects. J&J now faces a potential $1 billion in damages.
Having earlier observed the drug's dreadful effects on her child, Maryanne was correctly pursuing holistic treatment for the child instead when the legal battle began. The jury's ruling, now handed down against the mother, is not only a travesty of justice, but a reflection of psychopharma's vast propaganda machine. (http://www.naturalnews.com/033295_p...)
Fortunately not everyone is fooled. The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has been investigating J&J for years in regards Risperdal - its sales practices, pay-offs to doctors to promote the drug, and failures to disclose harmful effects. The pharma giant has now tentatively agreed to settle a misdemeanor criminal charge, however the DOJ and US attorney's office are pursuing additional criminal actions.
The government plans to join civil lawsuits filed by company whistleblowers, aiming to recover millions of dollars paid for prescriptions via government health programs like Medicare and Medicaid.
Already multimillions in fines have been levied against J&J for this powerful antipsychotic which is widely prescribed not only for schizophrenia but mood and anxiety disorders, dementia and other unapproved uses.
In June, a South Carolina judge demanded the company pay $327 million to the state for deceptively marketing Risperdal and concealing its dangers. The judge called J&J's practices "detestable." Last October, a Louisiana jury ordered the company to ante up $257.7 million for misleading claims about the drug's safety.
Recently, Massachusetts Attorney General joined the fight, filing a lawsuit against J&J for illegal marketing and failing to disclose "an increased risk of death" connected with the drug.
In Texas the Attorney General Office has joined forces with whistleblowers, with a jury trial scheduled for this fall. This lawsuit alleges that Janssen, J&J's pharmaceutical division, intentionally marketed Risperdal for use on children even though it was only approved for adult schizophrenia. The suit also involves a company scheme to boost prescriptions by paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to "experts" to evaluate and recommend the drug state-wide and nationally. Awarded damages are anticipated to be much larger than in South Carolina or Louisiana. Texas has paid more than $500 million for the drug since it was first brought to the market.
Attorneys general in about 40 other states have shown interest in suing the company.
Users speak out - beware of this drug!
Risperdal's documented "side effects" include huge weight gain, diabetes, lethargy, muscular tics, breast development in males, and many more.Below are just a few sample statements made online by individuals from their experience with this so-called "medication" (the root word of medicate means "to heal"):
"Basically I lost the drive for everything. Total shut down to my outgoing personality. Massive weight gain."
"Tardive dyskinesia [involuntary movement disorder], diabetes, gained 100 pounds in the first year, was a zombie... I was put on this nightmare drug when I was six. I was forced to take it against my will, and it ruined my life... This is a horrible, HORRIBLE drug, and should be banned."
"Apathy, not talking, just staring, sleeping constantly, tongue movements, loss of sexual function. This is a very BAD DRUG...a mental straight jacket. DO NOT put children on this drug!!! It's poison."
"I gained weight, became very tired, and of course that just led them to put me on antidepressant medications.... I have been on it since fifth grade and hardly knew what was happening to me."
"My son has gained over 100 pounds... He was an excellent student, received a doctorate and now cannot even remember what he studied. He sleeps all day and cannot work a job. His quality of life is nil. His mouth twitches and he has no control over it... It is like taking a dose of legalized poison every day. This is a LIFE WASTED AND RUINED, a brilliant mind destroyed and tortured. As a mother, it rips out my heart every day."
Yet per Johnson & Johnson annual reports, global Risperdal sales from 1994-2010 totaled nearly $29 billion.
Sources for this article include:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap...
http://www.thefix.com/content/jj-su...
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011...
http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/invest...
For information on how to get off psychiatric medications, see "Your Drug May Be Your Problem, How and Why to Stop Taking Psychiatric Medications" by Peter R. Breggin M.D.
About the author:
Monica G. Young is a human rights investigator and educational writer with a purpose to expose the truth about the pharmaceutical and psychiatric industries and safeguard human liberty. She encourages non-drug alternative approaches based on healthy lifestyles and human decency. She supports the Citizens Commission on Human Rights and like-minded groups. For more facts and video documentaries, see cchr.org
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