It’s impossible for anyone who hasn’t experienced it, to truly understand what it feels like when a teenage boy develops breasts. While transient tissue changes under the areola are normal during puberty, boys treated with the medication Risperdal were at a much higher risk of developing glandular breast tissue that did not go away on its own. Some of these boys grew breasts as large as a C or D cup, preventing them from engaging in normal childhood activities, or even taking their shirt off in front of others.
What Happened?
The reason breasts developed is because the drug Risperdal can cause the brain to release a hormone called prolactin. Prolactin is directly responsible for breast tissue growth and milk production in pregnant women. Once the breast tissue is there, the glands remain even after the medication Risperdal is stopped, and even once the prolactin levels return to normal.
Risperdal was marketed and supplied to a broad population including children and adolescent boys between 1999 and 2005 without adequate safety studies, and without FDA approval for use in this population. The manufacturers of Risperdal, Johnson & Johnson and Janssen Pharmaceutical, were aware that increased prolactin levels were possible for boys taking this drug, and that that prolactin could lead to male breast development. Despite FDA warnings to stop marketing the drug for non-approved uses, they continued to do so. As a result, the Department of Justice ordered Johnson & Johnson and Janssen to ordered to pay $1.7 billion for false marketing, advertising, and healthcare fraud in 2013.
The Damage can be Repaired
If you were prescribed Risperdal and developed breast tissue that has remained for longer than 2 years, contact Dr. Greg Vigna. Dr. Vigna is a board certified physician and personal injury attorney who is compassionate to your suffering. He works closely with leading specialists and reconstructive surgeons, and will represent your legal case against the manufacturer of this drug to get you the highest compensation possible for reconstructive surgery, and for your pain and suffering.
