Man Who Grew 46DD Boobs While Taking Anti
A Philadelphia court awarded $2.5 million to a man who grew 46DD breasts while taking the drug Risperdal.
Austin Pledger, 20, of Thorsby, Alabama, began taking the anti-psychotic drug when he was 8 years old. According to Philly.com, on Tuesday a jury ruled Pledger "was not adequately warned" that he would grow breasts if he took Risperdal.
A family doctor prescribed Risperdal to Pledger, who has autism, in 2002. At the time, the Food and Drug Administration had not approved Risperdal for use in children. The drugcontained a warning about a low risk for one of its side effects, gynecomastia, which can cause men to grow female breasts. Via Philly.com:
However, in 2006, the FDA approved Risperdal's use as a schizophrenic aid for children and issued new label information that said the drug contained high levels of prolactin, a hormone that promotes breast growth, Kline said.
By then Pledger had begun to grow breasts, and the only way to remove them now is through a mastectomy.
"This trial is important publicly because it provided for the first time a window into the real risks of the drug," Pledger's lawyer Thomas Kline said.
Risperdal is made by Janssen Pharmaceuticals, a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary. The company issued a statement expressing disappointment in the jury's decision.
"We firmly believe this verdict should be overturned," the statement read. "Risperdal has improved the lives of countless children and adults throughout the world."
People reports Pledger's case is the first of its kind to reach a jury verdict, with thousands more still pending in courts nationwide.
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