Big-Pharm has its hooks in Ar. AG

[tod evans]

AG to ask court to reconsider drug fine ruling

[edit]
http://www.ktlo.com/AG-to-ask-court-to-reconsider-drug-fine-ruling/18741359

http://www.dailycomet.com/article/20140403/APN/304039648?Title=Arkansas-to-ask-court-to-reconsider-drug-fine

http://www.fox8live.com/story/25156820/ag-to-ask-court-to-reconsider-drug-fine-ruling

AP Reporting

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) _ Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel says he's
asking the state Supreme Court to reconsider its decision to toss out a $1.2
billion judgment against Johnson & Johnson over the marketing of the
antipsychotic drug Risperdal.

McDaniel told the Arkansas Code Revision Commission on Thursday that he planned
to file a petition with the court asking it to reconsider its ruling last month
that the state misapplied the Medicaid fraud law in its suit against Johnson and
Johnson and a subsidiary over the drug.

The commission voted to authorize legislative staff to provide McDaniel's
office with an analysis it had done of the wording of the fraud law as approved
by the Legislature in 1993 and the way it was codified by the panel.

[donnay]

Tod, do you have a link to that?

[tod evans]

Tod, do you have a link to that?

http://www.ktlo.com/AG-to-ask-court-to-reconsider-drug-fine-ruling/18741359

http://www.dailycomet.com/article/20140403/APN/304039648?Title=Arkansas-to-ask-court-to-reconsider-drug-fine

http://www.fox8live.com/story/25156820/ag-to-ask-court-to-reconsider-drug-fine-ruling

[donnay]

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:http://www.ktlo.com/AG-to-ask-court-to-reconsider-drug-fine-ruling/18741359

Thank you.

It does point out that this governor is definitely getting graft from eighth-largest drug maker, Johnson & Johnson.

Imagine my shock upon hearing this.


Here is what I found.


Arkansas Supreme Court overturns $1.2B judgment against Johnson & Johnson over drug marketing

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas — The Arkansas Supreme Court tossed out a $1.2 billion judgment against Johnson & Johnson on Thursday, reversing a lower court verdict that found the drug maker engaged in fraudulent tactics when marketing the antipsychotic drug Risperdal.

The high court ruled the state's Medicaid fraud law, which formed the basis of Arkansas' lawsuit, regulates health care facilities and that drug manufacturers, including Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiary, Janssen Pharmaceutical Inc., don't fall under its scope.

The state alleged that the companies didn't properly communicate Risperdal's risks and marketed it for off-label use, calling the practices fraudulent.

Johnson & Johnson said there was no fraud and Arkansas' Medicaid program wasn't harmed.

Attorney General Dustin McDaniel said Thursday that he believes the Legislature intended for the Medicaid fraud law to allow lawsuits like the one against Johnson & Johnson.

"I am disappointed that the Court viewed the law differently. Nevertheless, I will keep working to protect consumers against fraud and the kinds of irresponsible and greedy actions shown by Johnson & Johnson and Janssen Pharmaceuticals in their marketing of the drug Risperdal," McDaniel said in a statement released by his office.

Johnson & Johnson issued a statement that included a defense of how Risperdal is used.

"We are pleased that the Arkansas Supreme Court has ruled in our favor, reversing and dismissing the state's claims brought under the Medicaid Fraud False Claims Act, and has also reversed the Deceptive Trade Practices Act claim, remanding it to the court below.

"Janssen remains strongly committed to ethical business practices. Risperdal continues to help patients around the world who suffer from the debilitating effects of schizophrenia and bipolar mania," the companies said in the release.


Continued... (http://www.therepublic.com/w/US--Antipsychotic-Drug-Appeal)

[tod evans]

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to donnay again. :o

[donnay]

Here's a flashback that quietly went away...these sleazy criminals will get theirs in the end. :mad:

J&J Hid Risks Risperdal Makes Boys’ Breasts Grow

Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) officials knew the antipsychotic drug Risperdal could cause boys to grow female breasts and hid those risks from doctors and patients, a lawyer for a Texas teen-ager suing the company told a jury.

J&J executives knew Risperdal could cause increased hormone levels that prompted female breast development in males and trained salespeople to downplay or hide that fact in marketing calls on doctors, Bob Hilliard, a lawyer for Andrew Bentley, told a state-court jury in Philadelphia in the first case over the claims to go to trial.

“A drug that was never meant for kids was illegally marketed to kids,” Hilliard said in opening statements today. “Johnson & Johnson knew about this side effect, did not warn about it and actually covered up evidence about it.”

Bentley’s case is one of about 420 lawsuits against J&J and its Janssen unit that allege personal injuries caused by Risperdal, the company said in a regulatory filing last month. The teen was able to bring his case in Pennsylvania because J&J has operations in the state.

The 17-year-old Houston resident claims he took Risperdal to treat problems related to Asperger’s Syndrome during times when federal regulators hadn’t approved the drug for use in children, according to court filings. His lawyers argue J&J illegally marketed the pills to rack up more than $1 billion in sales.

Normal Development

J&J’s lawyer countered today that Bentley’s breast development was normal for a teen going through puberty and Risperdal played no role in it.

Bentley’s breast growth “was totally consistent with” the idea that the teen developed breasts as part of puberty, Laura Smith, one of the company’s attorneys, told the jury. She said that the company denied illegally marketing the drug.

J&J and Janssen’s marketing of Risperdal has also been the subject of government investigations and lawsuits.

The U.S. has been investigating Risperdal sales practices since 2004, including allegations the company marketed the drug for unapproved uses, J&J executives said in a regulatory filing.

J&J officials reached an agreement with the U.S. Justice Department to pay as much as $2.2 billion to resolve probes of its sales of drugs, including Risperdal, according to people familiar with the matter, Bloomberg News reported earlier this year.

The company last month agreed to pay $181 million to resolve claims by 36 states that it improperly marketed and advertised Risperdal and Invega, another antipsychotic.

Risperdal Fines

In April, a judge in Arkansas ordered the drugmaker to pay $1.2 billion in fines over Risperdal marketing. That verdict came three months after J&J decided to end a trial in Texas over the drug’s sales with a $158 million settlement. The Texas case included claims that the company marketed the drug for children while lacking approval by regulators for such use.



Continued... (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-09-24/j-j-hid-risks-risperdal-makes-boys-breasts-grow-lawyer.html)