The US state Supreme Court of Arkansas overturned a $1.2 billion fine imposed two years ago on Johnson & Johnson for allegedly unlawful marketing of its antipsychotic drug Risperdal (risperidone).
The fine was handed down in April 2012 after the Janssen Pharmaceutical Unit was guilty of "false and deceptive acts" by sending letters promoting the product to more than 6,000 doctors in the US, according to a Little Rock jury. US state in 2003, stating that Risperdal had a superior safety profile compared to competing products.
The Arkansas Supreme Court rejected that decision, because the wrong law was invoked in J&J's suit, pertaining to healthcare facilities and not pharmaceutical companies. The 181 million dollars to cover the legal costs that the company would have had to bear were also suspended.
Monday, March 24, 2014 – PharmaKronos
