Pa. High Court Lets $2.5 Million Verdict Stand in Risperdal Case

PHILADELPHIA — The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has refused to review a ruling in which a state intermediate court upheld a $2.5 million verdict in a Risperdal case after finding the plaintiffs proved that Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc. failed to adequately warn their prescribing doctor that the antipsychotic drug can cause gynecomastia.

On Aug. 2, the high court denied Janssen’s petition for allowance of appeal.

Phillip Pledger was prescribed Risperdal by his neurologist, Dr. Jan Mathisen, to treat behavioral symptoms associated with autism. Less than three months after he began taking the drug, he began to experience enlargement in his chest area. …