The New York Times - Business Day
Originally published August 30, 2012
Johnson & Johnson announced Thursday that its pharmaceutical unit had reached a $181 million consumer fraud settlement with 36 states and the District of Columbia over its marketing of Risperdal, an antipsychotic drug.
The company’s pharmaceuticals subsidiary, Janssen, has been under scrutiny for years over its promotion of Risperdal, which treats symptoms of bipolar mania and schizophrenia. State and federal authorities have said that Janssen promoted the drug for uses it did not have approval for, including dementia in elderly patients, bipolar disorder in children and adolescents, depression and anxiety. Prosecutors have also accused the company of minimizing or concealing the risks associated with the drug.
In resolving the allegations by the states, Janssen did not admit wrongdoing or that it violated the law and said it settled to avoid “unnecessary expense and a prolonged legal process.”
