A pediatric psychiatrist testified in the Risperdal trial Feb. 13 that the drug was the best option for treating the plaintiff's autism-related outbursts and that the risks of gynecomastia were adequately stated in the drug's warning label.

Dr. Adelaide Robb of the Children's National Medical Center testified on behalf of defendant Janssen Pharmaceuticals at the end of the trial's third week. The plaintiffs in the case, Austin Pledger and his mother, claimed that Risperdal caused elevated levels of the hormone prolactin in Pledger's system, leading to gynecomastia. Gynecomastia is a condition that causes males to grow female breast tissue.

Robb told the court that she and her colleagues at the hospital frequently conduct clinical trials for drugs, including a trial for Risperdal.