Johnson & Johnson’s Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals unit was recently ordered by a South Carolina judge to pay more than $327 million in penalties relating to deceptive marketing practices for its drug, Risperdal.
According to the 17-page ruling from Judge Roger Couch in Spartanburg, S.C., J&J’s executives “allowed the profit-at-all-costs mentality to cloud” their judgment regarding the marketing and labeling of Risperdal.
The suit, which was originally filed by South Carolina’s lawyers in 2007, was recently argued over the course of a two-week trial and resulted in a ruling that J&J’s unit repeatedly violated the state’s consumer protection laws when it sent a letter to doctors touting the superiority of Risperdal over other rival drugs.
Janssen released a statement following the ruling, citing that it will appeal Couch’s order and also maintained their position that the company fully disclosed all the health risks associated with use of Risperdal and properly marketed the product at all times.
