Arkansas Judge Fines Johnson & Johnson $1.1 Billion for Hiding Drug Risks

An Arkansas judge has fined Johnson & Johnson and a subsidiary more than $1.1 billion after a jury found the companies downplayed and hid risks associated with an antipsychotic drug, reports CBS News. Judge Tim Fox found nearly 240,000 violations under Arkansas’ Medicaid-fraud law over Risperdal. Each violation came with a $5,000 fine, setting the total penalty at more than $1.1 billion. Arkansas sued Johnson & Johnson and subsidiary Janssen pharmaceuticals Inc. in 2007 over the drug.