Has your son or a boy you know taken Risperdal®?

Boys may be at risk for a serious, potentially irreversible side effect called Gynecomastia.

Gynecomastia is a condition where boys grow breasts.

Risperdal® may increase the amount of a hormone (prolactin) in blood. Symptoms may include growth of breast(s), possibly with pain or nipple discharge. A mastectomy may be required to remove the breast(s).

Know The Risks:

Research indicates that use of Risperdal® elevates the hormone prolactin, which is one of the reasons why the drug causes boys and male adolescents to develop the serious and potentially irreversible condition gynecomastia (breast development). Prolactin is a protein hormone that induces and maintains lactation in women after they give birth. In addition to breast growth, elevated prolactin may increase the risk of breast cancer in young boys and adolescents and harm the male reproduction system.

The antipsychotic drug Risperdal® was originally approved by the FDA for use in adults with schizophrenia. The drug was used "off-label" in children and adolescents, meaning it had not been approved by the FDA, for bipolar disorder, autism, irritability, aggression and behavior disorders including Attention Deficit Disorder/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

The manufacturer of Risperdal® applied for approval for use in children and adolescents for certain conditions. In October 2006, the FDA approved the use of Risperdal for irritability associated with autistic disorder in children and adolescents. Additional approval in August 2007 was for treatment of acute mania or mixed episodes associated with Bipolar 1 disorder in children and adolescents.

Both "off-" and on-label use did not, in Sheller, P.C.'s investigation, provide adequate warning of the drug's dangerous side effects.

If your son or a young boy or adolescent you know has experienced abnormal breast development or has been diagnosed with gynecomastia, contact us now to learn your rights and protect the health of your child.

Risperdal® stories have appeared:

Additional Risks

At this time, Sheller, P.C. attorneys are specifically investigating gynecomastia, but Risperdal® has been linked to other serious conditions and side effects.

If you have any of the following side effects, consult your health care professional:

• Involuntary muscle movements (extrapyramidal symptoms/ tardive dyskinesia)
• Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome (NMS)
• Diabetes

The firm of Sheller, P.C. is nationally recognized as committed to the aggressive and compassionate representation of its clients. Sheller, P.C. maintains a practice concentrating in areas of drug product and medical device liability, medical malpractice, pharmaceutical whistleblower cases, toxic tort and complex catastrophic personal injury litigation, consumer product safety and fraud, equality and compensation.

Attorneys from Sheller, P.C. have successfully litigated groundbreaking cases dealing with everything from pharmaceutical products, medical devices, tobacco company fraud and consumer electronics fraud to racial discrimination and birth defects. In just fifteen months of 2009-2010, Sheller, P.C. attorneys were instrumental in the recovery of $4.2 billion for the federal government representing whistleblowers in pharmaceutical fraud, failure to warn and off-label marketing cases. Their successes have garnered press coverage from the CBS Evening News, Fox News (National), CNN, MSNBC, Good Morning America, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times and Philadelphia Inquirer, among many others.

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