Risperdal is the drug that made the young boys in the world to grow breasts in their indolence age which led to embarrassment in the society especially in school. This drug was made initially to treat mental illness like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and irritability in people with autism by Jhonson and Jhonson who are sued by the youngsters for the side effects.
Eddie Bible is one among them who is suffering through this problem and states as it’s biggest mistake of his life. "If I knew what the side effects would be of the medication, I would have never taken it," Bible said
This problem led to biggest embarrassment of his life and it led him to live a shameful life. Soon after his breasts became noticeable, Bible stopped going outside with his friends. Most days, he'd retreat to his room and play video games to block out the world.
"I had bigger boobs than the girls in (high) school," he said. "I thought, 'Am I going to have to get a training bra?' "
At 13 years old, Bible was suffering a side effect -- not disclosed at the time -- of medication he was taking for anxiety and bipolar disorder.
"They put me on this Risperdal. The doctors said, 'Well, Risperdal was helping some.' To me, it didn't really help, because a year and a half later, I had gynecomastia."
But since 1994, when J&J put Risperdal on the market, the drug has drawn a significant amount of attention and controversy, beyond undisclosed side effects.
Jason Itkin, a lawyer represents Eddie Bible and 13,000 like him who were affected by the drugs is concerned over the fact that doctors continue to prescribe Risperdal today.
"Unfortunately, past fines that J&J has already paid did nothing to help those who directly suffered through the bullying and shaming after developing female breasts," Itkin said.
Johnson & Johnson has been settling some of the 1,500 plus Risperdal gynecomastia claims confidentially, but has also lost several cases in court. In July 2016, a Philadelphia jury found J&J liable for failing to warn of Risperdal side effects, awarding a Tennessee teenager $70 million in damages.
Responding to accusations that it inappropriately marketed the drug to children, J&J said Janssen "did not direct sales representatives to promote Risperdal for use in children or adolescents, and it did not approve sales materials aimed at treating children or adolescents."
J&J insists, "Risperdal is a safe and effective medication that has helped millions of people live better lives for more than two decades."
