Report: J&J will pay $2.2B in Risperdal settlement

The Wall Street Journal, which reported the settlement Thursday, said the settlement will include a $400 million criminal fine and that the final amount will depend on how many states accept the settlement.

Johnson & Johnson and the U.S. Department of Justice both declined to comment.

The Journal said Johnson & Johnson will disclose the general terms of the settlement in the next few weeks, and that the company will still be allowed to sell its products to Medicare and other government health care programs.

In 2010 the Justice Department joined a whistleblower lawsuit alleging that a Johnson & Johnson division paid tens of millions of dollars in illegal kickbacks to a company that provided prescription drugs to nursing home patients. The lawsuit said Johnson & Johnson made the payments to increase sales of Risperdal, a drug that is used to treat conditions including symptoms of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. It is linked to increased risk of death for elderly people with dementia.