Wednesday August 24, 2011, 7:16 am
At first I thought the Risperdal on Legos pic must've been made up. NO. J&J puts them in doctors waiting rooms for the kids to play with. Too unbelievable to be believed.

Wednesday August 24, 2011, 7:23 am
Here's something to make you puke...

Consider Kyle Warren, who as an 18-month-old Louisiana toddler began taking Risperdal prescribed by a pediatrician on the J&J payroll (plastic RISPERDAL Legos and all). Kyle suffered from frequent temper tantrums, and his mother, Brandy Warren, then 22, was a new mother on Medicaid and, as she told the New York Times, "at my wit's end." But like any good mother, Brandy kept on searching for the right diagnosis and the right treatment, going from doctor to doctor and amassing a contradictory set of assessments, such as autism, psychosis, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. By the time he was age three, Kyle's daily pill regimen resembled that of someone very old or very sick, including Risperdal, the antidepressant Prozac, uppers for ADHD and downers for insomnia. He was sedated, he drooled, and he was ballooning with fat from the side effects of the Risperdal—but, look Ma, no more temper tantrums.

Says the mother Brandy.Warren: “Once he came off the medication, he was Kyle again. He’s an intelligent person. He’s loud. He’s funny. He’s smart. He’s bouncy. I mean, there’s never a dull moment. He has a few little behavior issues. But he’s like any other normal 6-year-old.” Still, she worries that the many months he spent taking those drugs may have damaged his development. Will Kyle be more susceptible to mental health problems and addiction as he ages? No one knows. "I will never, ever let my children be put on these drugs again,” she told the Times, choking back tears. “I didn’t realize what I was doing.”

Wednesday August 24, 2011, 7:50 am
Big Pharma pushes a lot of unhealthy stuff on a lot of people; so does the food industry and others. Why it's permitted is hard to understand. 'Free' enterprise?

Wednesday August 24, 2011, 7:55 am
When your only market place is our bodies and you are all about increasing profits and damn the consequences to health, then you have to keep bringing out more expensive new drugs, encourage more off label use of existing drugs and get kids hooked earlier and earlier into our modern mainstream paradigm of a lifetime of using side effect laden drugs to treat symptoms where the side effects lead to more conditions and more drugs in a never ending cycle. That and do everything you can to suppress natural and other competition which you don't patent and control.

Wednesday August 24, 2011, 8:01 am
I don't know if there's any difference between putting toxins into waterways that cause frogs to have five legs and gender problems, and putting drugs into children that cause fat, breasts on boys, and milk production in teens, boy or girl....

Wednesday August 24, 2011, 8:09 am
Big Pharma and puking go hand in hand. I read about this just the other day, and the frustration always is that they don't care they have to fork out the fines. So much can be said. I saw a documentary about children being "diagnosed" with mental illness by the time they were 4 or 5, and put on drugs, and in several cases, the children had irreparable damage from the drugs. The other frustration is trying to get people to question doctor's "authority" because Big Pharma isn't going to stop pushing, nor is the Docs. It's hard enough to get adults to do this - the horror and tragedy is children are left at the mercy of their parent's decisions....I could go on and on, as I have some passion on the subject, yet nothing revolutionary or enlightening yet. I have to go to bed. Thank you for posting this, and my only hope is this kind of information reaches the masses.

Wednesday August 24, 2011, 8:10 am

I'd say this is "unbelievable," but I put nothing past Big Pharma (with the cooperation/feigned ignorance of the FDA).

Thanks, Kenneth!

Wednesday August 24, 2011, 8:38 am
EXCELLENT article.

Wednesday August 24, 2011, 8:47 am
It's deplorable that J&J would place anti-psychotic drug advertising on Legos. What's worse is a doctor who would allow them in his/her waiting room. I'd find a different doctor. You are forewarned where that dope dealer will go-to first in treating your child.
I'm against all advertisement geared to children; they'll become crass consumers soon enough.

Wednesday August 24, 2011, 8:58 am
As someone who has routinely railed against Big Pharma, myself, I will not be the one to caution others about going too far. Most reasonable people are against the abuses and the excesses of that mega-corporate entity that we call Big Pharma. However, few would want to return to the "good ol' days" when there was no Big Pharma...and most cemeteries were filled with small children. That being said, however, it is a good thing in particular to question the efficacy of psychiatric meds for childhood mental illness, when the issue of childhood mental illness is still so controversial. The best example of this controversy is the notion of bipolar in children. The evidence is questionable as to whether the problem even exists, yet some psychiatrists have started medicating children for this dubious diagnosis. Most children's mental health could be radically improved just by having parents that act like parents.

Wednesday August 24, 2011, 9:22 am
wow Ken... i'm simply speechless

Wednesday August 24, 2011, 9:40 am
I've said this about our land......Is any place Sacred anymore? No, not when it comes to the greed in this world.

Now not even the children are Sacred. Is bad enough they put this advertising on TV but on children's toys? I find this about as low as one can go. Shame on them. The story of Kyle Warren is heartbreaking, I hope he is going to be ok after all his little body and mind was put through. Bastards.

Wednesday August 24, 2011, 9:49 am
Exactly Dandelion. I mean 18 mon. old? A few months ago when I heard they were giving psych meds to 10 yr. olds, even 6 or 7 yr. olds I thought that was sick. But babies (toddlers more like it I guess)? It even leaves out the fact that the 'patient' can't even talk or articulate to any degree anything that's going on with them. So that leaves that little part of the 'diagnoses' out of it. Incredible. What dark corner in someone's mind wants parents and/or kids to equate a psychoactive drug with children in an advertisement on playing blocks?
Someone should also petition LEGO to get the stupid ad off their product. 'I sold my soul for a buck' must be the motto of a lot of things.

Wednesday August 24, 2011, 10:02 am
noted. Thanks for the informative article, Ken. I wish I could say that I'm surprised, but profit is always king over the well being of people. It's mind boggling to think they have gotten away with this (probably much longer than we've been aware of). It's shameful, as parents rely on these horrible drug companies to put kids first and be truthful about side effects, etc. SAD!

Wednesday August 24, 2011, 3:17 pm
All of these things that the Big Pharma AND the doctors tout as a reliable, effective balm to still the behavior of a child who is acting a little "over the top" come under the blanket of greed. To drug a toddler or a 6, 7, or 10 year old is abhorant at best. All in the name of money without a care as to who gets hurt.
Anyone on drugs for a period of time will bear the ravages of them. Dull minds, psychotic minds and unhealthy bodies are the result of drugs, no matter if prescribed by a doctor or a drug dealer.
To advertise on toys is criminal and Kenneth, you are right....a petition should be made to have either LEGO or J&J remove the ad from the toys.

Wednesday August 24, 2011, 4:28 pm
Another one worth posting to myspace, fb & twtiters
Thank you again Kenneth

Wednesday August 24, 2011, 4:51 pm
little kids..and big ones 8 to 80......then they give you another pill for all the side effects....

Wednesday August 24, 2011, 10:49 pm
SHAME ON LEGGO & J&J ... products should be boycotted and petitions drafted !
I had no idea, and as a mother and grandmother, as a human being, I am completely disgusted and sickened by what J&J + Leggo have done to our innocent children !
Kyle Warren's case exemplifies the obscenity of a 'family physician' on the take with J&J = CRIMINAL !
This doctor should have had his license taken away permanently ... I wonder if this ever happened !

"The Massachusetts case is the third of about 10 state lawsuits in which jurors will be asked to pass judgment on whether J&J's Risperdal promotional practices constitute medical fraud. Class-action suits by patients (or parents) claiming injury are also in the works. The Obama administration has shown some guts in not simply allowing the giant drug makers to settle such lawsuits for giant fees ($2 billion is not unusual, however ho-hum to pharma) but in holding individual company executives personally liable for the criminal activity."

Kenneth thank you for posting this article which is a HUGE FYI for everyone. Posted to Twitter !

Thursday August 25, 2011, 2:03 am
In my imaginary world a doctors office is a place of values where a patient can seek advice and support in an honest and honourable way. A doctor is someone you can trust with your life. The doctor makes choices and gives suggestions based on what is best for you based on all the information available to them. A doctors office is not a place to be promoted to and treated as a sucker to sell a product to. This practice of direct advertising meds to children is a whole new low. I'm willing to bet that most doctors are so used to the pharmaceutical companies plying them with stuff that they wouldn't even stop to think if these building blocks were an issue, just more free stuff. It's truly revolting.

Friday August 26, 2011, 5:57 am
thank you Kenneth, noted

Friday August 26, 2011, 8:31 am
we need more regulations

Friday August 26, 2011, 9:02 pm
The practice of medicine has changed greatly over the years. Most of us no longer have a relationship with our doctors but are simply rushed in and out in 20 minutes so the doc can see as many patients as possible. It is up to us patients to be proactive and research drugs that are prescribed and seek out alternative methods of treatment. It's amazing how quickly drugs and surgery are pushed as the first option for treatment rather than exploring options that are less invasive such as improving nutrition and and beginning a regular exercise program. Since kids can't make decisions for themselves it is important that parents look after their best interests. Also, pharmacists are often much more knowledgeable than doctors about drugs-how effective they are and what the side effects are likely to be. Kids survived for the most part without needing to take all these drugs that they are now prescribed. Let's take a serious look at whether we should be medicating young children for questionable diagnoses. And we all need to fight such practices as marketing drugs to children through advertising it on the side of a popular toy.

Saturday August 27, 2011, 9:28 am
Horrible.

Saturday August 27, 2011, 4:40 pm
noted.

Sunday August 28, 2011, 12:22 pm
How clever, Jonhson & Johnson! I've seen creative advertisments before, but thats just...WoW!
If you arent already boycotting that disgusting corporation for testing their goods on animals, or if you dont care about animals, then here is a new reason for you: they want to ruin your child's soul, mind and body!!