The Whole Truth With Jill Rosensweig

In this week's episode, I am discussing the jury's award of $8 billion in punitive damages to a young man who grew breasts after taking Risperdal as a child.  Risperdal is a drug that was approved by the FDA for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder in adults but was prescribed off label to the Plaintiff when he was 9 years old for systems related to autism spectrum disorder.   It is alleged in the lawsuit that the same year he was prescribed the drug, the defendants conducted a study showing that young boys taking Risperdal could lead to the growth of breast tissue but that study was not disclosed to the FDA.  It is also alleged that J&J was marketing the drug to kids, while knowing of this elevated risk of breast growth and not disclosing it.  What does this verdict say to drug companies?  What does this case say about off label drug use in general?  All of this and more is covered in this episode.