J&J ordered to pay $327 million over marketing of drug

A unit of Johnson & was ordered on Friday to pay $327 million in civil penalties to the state of South Carolina over the marketing of its antipsychotic drug Risperdal. J&J's Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals unit repeatedly violated state consumer-protection laws by sending 7,184 "dear doctor" letters in November 2003, touting Risperdal as superior to rivals, the law firm Harrison,
White, Smith and Coggins, which represented South Carolina, said in a statement. Judge Roger Couch of the Circuit Court for Spartanburg County for South Carolina, awarded the state of South Carolina a total of $174.2 million in penalties over the letters, based on a rate of $4,000 per violation. In addition, the judge also found that 509,499 sample boxes of Risperdal distributed in the state had labels with deceptive materials, also warranting penalties. Couch awarded the state $152.8 million in penalties, or $300 per violation.