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Alleged Overuse of Risperdal and Other Medications Sparks Federal Nursing Home Lawsuit, Bernstein Liebhard LLP Reports(PR Web Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) New York, New York (PRWEB) September 08, 2014 Federal prosecutors have alleged that two California nursing homes inappropriately administered Risperdal (http://www.therisperdallawsuit.com/) and other medications to their patients, Bernstein Liebhard LLP reports. According to a lawsuit filed late last month in the U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, a number of elderly residents at the two facilities were allegedly treated with antipsychotic, psychotropic, and/or narcotic medications without the consent of their physicians or family members. In one case, an 86-year-old man became bedridden, stopped eating and developed bedsores and infections after he was treated with Risperdal and Haldol to control agitation. Within weeks of his admission to the facility, the resident was rushed to the hospital with symptoms of heart failure, a known side effect of antipsychotics in the elderly, the complaint charges.(Case No. 3:14-cv-03946) According to a report from NPR, advocates for nursing home patients are hopeful that prosecutions such as this will discourage skilled nursing facilities from overmedicating their residents. While the labels for antipsychotic drugs like Risperdal warn that they can increase the risk of death in elderly dementia patients, about a fifth of nursing home residents nationwide are treated with such medications.* "The filing of this complaint comes as hundreds of people pursue individual Risperdal lawsuits for gynecomastia and other complications allegedly caused by the antipsychotic medication. Among other things, these claims charge that the drug was improperly marketed for unapproved uses, including the treatment of elderly dementia patients," says Bernstein Liebhard LLP, a nationwide law firm representing the victims of defective drugs and medical devices. The Firm is currently offering free legal consultations to men and boys who allegedly developed gynecomastia, or male breast growth, due to their use of Risperdal. Risperdal Gynecomastia Litigation Court records indicate that the majority of individual Risperdal lawsuits are pending in a mass tort litigation now underway in Pennsylvania's Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, where Bernstein Liebhard LLP is actively filing cases. Among other things, the complaints accuse Johnson & Johnson and Janssen Pharmaceuticals of concealing the association between Risperdal and male breast growth, and of failing to warn doctors and patients about this potential risk. (In Re: Risperdal Litigation, Case Number 100300296). In November 2013, Johnson & Johnson agreed to pay $2.2 million to settle charges brought by the U.S. Department of Justice involving the marketing of Risperdal and other medications. Among other things, the company pled guilty to a criminal misdemeanor and acknowledged that it had improperly marketed Risperdal for use in elderly dementia patients. However, Johnson & Johnson did not admit any wrongdoing in resolving civil charges regarding the promotion of Risperdal for off-label use in children. (U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, 04-cv-1529) Men and boys who allegedly developed gynecomastia due to their use of Risperdal may be entitled to compensation for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, emotional distress and more. To learn more about filing a Risperdal lawsuit, please contact the Firm by calling 800-511-5092. *ripr.org/post/feds-hope-hitting-nursing-homes-wallet-will-cut-overmedication, NPR, September 8, 2014 About Bernstein Liebhard LLP Bernstein Liebhard LLP is a New York-based law firm exclusively representing injured persons in complex individual and class action lawsuits nationwide since 1993. As a national law firm, Bernstein Liebhard LLP possesses all of the legal and financial resources required to successfully challenge billion dollar pharmaceutical and medical device companies. As a result, our attorneys and legal staff have been able to recover more than $3 billion on behalf of our clients. The Firm has been named by The National Law Journal to the Plaintiffs' Hot List, recognizing the top plaintiffs firms in the country, for the past 12 consecutive years. Bernstein Liebhard LLP is the only firm in the country to be named to this prestigious list every year since it was first published in 2003. Bernstein Liebhard LLP 10 East 40th Street New York, New York 10016 800-511-5092 ATTORNEY ADVERTISING. © 2014 Bernstein Liebhard LLP. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Bernstein Liebhard LLP, 10 East 40th Street, New York, New York 10016, 800-511-5092. Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future matter. Contact Information: Felecia L. Stern, Esq. info (at) consumerinjurylawyers (dot) com http://www.therisperdallawsuit.com/ https://plus.google.com/115936073311125306742?rel=author Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/risperdal-lawsuit/risperdal-gynecomastia/prweb12151985.htm (c) 2014 PRWEB.COM Newswire |