In August 2017, we looked at a case whereby Johnson & Johnson, the global pharmaceutical company, were ordered to pay more than $400 million in damages . However, this month a Jury in Philadelphia decided that the company would face a much higher financial penalty on account of its development and marketing of an anti-psychotic drug that has been linked to the development of breast tissue in men. In this post we will look at this award, what it means for J&J, and what happens next. The case has been brought by Nicholas Murray of Maryland, who has claimed that he developed female breast tissue after taking the drug Risperdal when he was younger . It has been reported that the drug has been linked to the abnormal growth of breast tissue in boys. Risperdal is used to treat a number of mental/mood disorders, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and some variants of autistic disorder . The US Food and Drug Administration approved the drug for use in 1993 for these con...

In the first of two short posts today, we will look at the case of the billionaire Sackler Family and their remarkable effect upon American society. The family, who own Purdue Pharma amongst a list of other ventures, have this week seen a massive legal action taken against them by the State of New York who argue that the company is ‘ responsible for the opioid epidemic ’ sweeping through the United States. The attorney-general for New York has called the lawsuit the ‘ nation’s most extensive ’ with respect to the pharmaceutical industry and comes right on the heels of a $270 million suit that was settled in the State of Oklahoma on exactly the same grounds. Whilst the company and the billionaire family who own it did not admit guilt (settling parties rarely do, hence why they settle outside of court) it has potentially opened the trapdoors for litigation. It comes as no surprise then that the company is reportedly considering bankruptcy proceedings in the face of such an onsl...