Texas Jury Awards $19.4 million for Remicade Injuries
Johnson & Johnson sells a drug called Remicade. It is prescribed generally for Crohn's disease and rheumatoid arthritis (recently Johnson & Johnson won U.S. approval to market Remicade for ulcerative colitis and psoriasis as well).
The problem is that the drug also can cause liver failure and expose the body to serious infection.
A Texas jury seemed to agree this week that the drug also can cause lupus. It found that the company hid the side effects of its Remicade drug and must pay a woman with lupus symptoms $19.4 million.
Patricia Hamilton, 47, began taking Remicade for her Crohn's disease in December 2001 and developed drug-induced lupus the following year. She also said that the drug also left her with increased risk of liver failure.
Hamilton sued Centocor, claiming the Johnson & Johnson company failed to warn doctors of the risks of the drug. As noted above, a Corpus Christi, Texas, jury awarded $19.4 million as compensation to Ms. Hamilton for the company’s failures and her injuries --- $3.4 million in actual damages and $16 million in punitive damages. The verdict is the first ever involving Remicade, Johnson & Johnson's second-largest drug by sales. Some of the damages will be reduced due to Texas Republican’s successful efforts to limit an individual’s ability to hold corporations responsible for such injuries. Also, Johnson & Johnson intends to appeal the verdict.
The lawsuit is Hamilton v. Centocor Inc., No. 03-60526-4, County Court at Law, Nueces County, Texas.