Johnson & Johnson continues to battle lawsuits related to its marketing of Risperdal, an anti-psychotic drug.  After being ordered to pay nearly $660 million after losing cases in South Carolina and Louisiana and prevailing in West Virginia and Pennsylvania, the company has reportedly settled related allegations with the federal government and several states for $1 billion.  One state which did not join that settlement is Texas, who began its civil trial against the company on Tuesday.

Johnson and Johnson is alleged to aggressively marketed Risperdal for off-label uses, including for children and elderly patients with dementia, while discounting the risks associated with the drug.  The Texas lawsuit also includes allegations that the company promoted misleading research studies and paid state mental health officials in order to gain approval of drug guidelines that favored Risperdal.  The Texas suit was filed by a Pennsylvania official who uncovered the alleged payments to Texas state mental health officials during an investigation of the company’s practices.  One official who allegedly accepted payments or trips from Johnson & Johnson testified on Wednesday.  He stated that the payments in no way influenced his decisions and that any consulting work he did for the company was on his own time and was entirely unrelated to his position as a state official.  On Thursday the whistleblower who brought the case to the government’s attention gave evidence stating that he was fired after initiating an investigation against Johnson & Johnson.

Read the entire articles, “J&J to Oppose Texas in $1 Billion Trial Over Risperdal Marketing”; “A Texas Official On The Johnson & Johnson Payroll”; “J&J Whistle-Blower Jones Says He Was Fired After Payment Probe”