Drug Firm Agrees to Pay One Billion Dollars in Major Scandal

Posted By Dr. Mercola | January 06 2012 | 187 views

In order to resolve a civil investigation into marketing of the antipsychotic drug Risperdal, Johnson & Johnson will pay more than $1 billion to the U.S. government and most U.S. states. Johnson & Johnson reached the agreement last week with a government attorney; negotiations over a possible criminal plea are still under way.

The U.S. government has been investigating the marketing of Risperdal for close to eight years. The company is alleged to have marketed the drug for unapproved uses.

Bloomberg reports:

"The Food and Drug Administration approved Risperdal in 1993 for psychotic disorders including schizophrenia. That market is limited, and J&J's Janssen unit sought to sell Risperdal for bipolar disorder, dementia, mood and anxiety disorders and other unapproved uses, according to documents in a lawsuit against J&J".