In the latest setback to Johnson & Johnson and its seemingly futile attempts to defend its Risperdal marketing, the health care giant is attempting to prevent former FDA commish David Kessler from testifying in yet another case involving a teenage boy who claims the antipsychotic caused him to grow breasts. And J&J wants to keep Kessler off the stand because he wrote a scathing report of its conduct. “In my opinion,” Kessler wrote, J&J’s Janssen unit “promoted Risperdal for non-approved uses in violation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. The promotion of non-approved uses by a manufacturer, because it undercuts the system and safeguards of drug regulation, is concerning. The promotion of non-approved uses by a manufacturer of powerful drugs is more concerning.
