J&J, Janssen Pharm. Mislead Doctors About Risks of Risperdal

A judge has ruled that Johnson & Johnson and its Janssen Pharmaceutica unit must pay West Virginia $3.95 million for misleading doctors about the risks and benefits of Risperdal, an atypical antipsychotic drug. The state's attorney general sued Johnson & Johnson and Janssen in 2004, alleging the companies violated the state's consumer protection act "by claiming the drug was safer than similar medications." In September 2003, the FDA "required makers of atypicals to warn doctors that such drugs were associated with an increased risk of diabetes," but the judge found that in November 2003, Janssen "sent out 'false and misleading' letters to doctors that downplayed the risks" associated with the drug. Read more.