Texas Attorney General claims drug companies misled the public on safety of Risperdal
The Texas Attorney General, Greg Abbott, is suing Jannsen Pharmaceuticals, a subdivision of Johnson and Johnson, over what it calls a "sophisticated marketing scheme." The state of Texas wants the money taxpayers spent on giving foster children the powerful anti-psychotic drug, Risperdal, meant for the treatment of schizophrenia in adults, and never approved by the FDA for use in any other group.
Abbott is charging that Janssen Pharmaceuticals defrauded the state and caused the Texas Medicaid Program to overpay for the schizophrenia drug Risperdal. Allegations include that the drug companies prevented state health officials from receiving "truthful information about the safety, efficacy, appropriate uses and cost-effectiveness of Risperdal."
The state also claims that Jannsen misled state health officials about the drug's effectiveness, the risk of side effects and its suitability for pediatric use.
Here’s a puzzle: Foster kids as young as two and three years old are being given this drug meant for adults, simply because a foster parent says a toddler is “too uncooperative” or is “a distraction” in pre-school. Most of these kids are simply doing what children do. Some are acting out because of the sudden change in their living situation, others are just being children, who need guidance and love, not drugs to keep them quiet.
The Texas Attorney General has discovered the intent of this huge pharmaceutical company, so he is suing. Nevertheless, these poor foster kids are still being given a dangerous drug that can have severe and permanent side effects, such as tremor and jerking movements similar to Parkinson’s Disease. It also is known to cause diabetes in some people, and males to lactate.
Why is the Texas Department of Health and Human Services/Medicaid allowing this to continue? This is a dangerous practice that harms the children the government supposedly helps. Not only is this negligent, it is unethical. Clearly, the parents of the foster children who were given Risperidal should sue Jansenn Pharmaceuticals and Johnson and Johnson for circumventing FDA rules to get their drugs into children, not knowing the efficacy or safety of the drug in that population.
If you or a loved one have been harmed by a dangerous drug, you have rights. You can hold the big pharmaceutical companies accountable for their mistake. Order our free book about pharmacy mistakes or call our office at 1-888-526-7616 to discuss your case today.
Kennedy Hodges, LLP helps individuals who have suffered serious injury due to prescription and pharmacy errors across the country, including distributing wrong medications, administering the wrong dosage, and failure to provide medication warnings and instructions.
