This archive report was first published on 10 October 2019.
On October 10, 2019, a Pennsylvania jury delivered a significant verdict against US pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson, ordering the company to pay $8 billion (Sh800 billion) in damages and interest.
The ruling came after plaintiff Nicholas Murray testified that the psychiatric drug Risperdal, prescribed to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, had caused him to grow breasts.
Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals were found liable for failing to warn patients about Risperdal's potential side effects.
In a statement, the company challenged the ruling, calling the damages awarded "grossly disproportionate" to the initial award of $680,000 (Sh68 million).
Johnson & Johnson also accused the court of preventing their defence team from presenting "key evidence" on Risperdal labelling.
The company is facing a series of complaints in state courts for failing to properly warn of Risperdal's side effects, including in Pennsylvania, California, and Missouri.
Risperdal, approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 1993, generated $737 million (Sh73 billion) in sales in 2018.
