LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas attorney general’s Medicaid-fraud trial against drugmaker Johnson & Johnson adjourned early for the weekend Friday.
The state claims that Johnson & Johnson, through its Janssen Pharmaceuticals subsidiary, concealed dangerous side effects of the antipsychotic drug Risperdal, a widely prescribed medication for treating mental conditions such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
Attorney General Dustin McDaniel is seeking at least $1.25 billion in fines from Johnson & Johnson in the 2007 lawsuit that also claims the company engaged in deceptive trade practices in marketing the medication, allegations that, if the jury decides are true, could add another $200 million in fines. The bulk of any fines received by the state would go to the state Medicaid program.
State lawyers have said they could rest their case by Tuesday.
Most of Friday morning’s proceedings were dedicated to the testimony of Laura Plunkett, a pharmacologist who is serving as the state’s authority on federal drug regulations and drug interactions.
Company attorney Laura Smith questioned the credentials of Plunkett, a former researcher and professor at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, pointing out that Plunkett’s not a licensed pharmacist.
Smith also challenged Plunkett’s testimony that Johnson & Johnson had never disputed efforts by regulators to force Risperdal to add label warnings advising patients about diabetes risk. And, Smith also suggested Plunkett’s testimony as an expert witness about Risperdal and similar drugs changed, depending on for whom she was working.
The trial will resume at 9 a.m. Monday before Pulaski County Circuit Judge Tim Fox.
Arkansas, Pages 13 on 03/31/2012