Ark. judge slaps J&J with $1.1 billion fine

CHICAGO (MarketWatch)
A judge in Arkansas judge on Wednesday slapped Johnson & Johnson with a fine of more than $1.1 billion following a jury ruling that the company's Janssen subsidiary hid risks associated with Risperdal, an antipsychotic drug, the Associated Press reports
The judge, Tim Fox, found that Johnson & Johnson committed about 240,000 violations of the state's Medicaid fraud law, one for each Risperdal prescription issued to Medicaid patients over a 31/2-year period, the wire service noted
Each violation carries a $5,000 fine
For its part, Johnson & Johnson said it was "disappointed" with the decision and plans to appeal