Eli Lilly Said to Play Down Risk of Top Pill - New York Times: "Eli Lilly Said to Play Down Risk of Top Pill
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By ALEX BERENSON
Published: December 17, 2006
The drug maker Eli Lilly has engaged in a decade-long effort to play down the health risks of Zyprexa, its best-selling medication for schizophrenia, according to hundreds of internal Lilly documents and e-mail messages among top company managers.
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Darron Cummings/Associated Press
Zyprexa is Lilly’s top-selling drug, with sales of $4.2 billion last year.
Joshua Borough for The New York Times
James B. Gottstein, a lawyer who represents the mentally ill, said the documents about Zyprexa’s side effects raised public health issues. The documents, given to The Times by a lawyer representing mentally ill patients, show that Lilly executives kept important information from doctors about Zyprexa’s links to obesity and its tendency to raise blood sugar — both known risk factors for diabetes.
Lilly’s own published data, which it told its sales representatives to play down in conversations with doctors, has shown that 30 percent of patients taking Zyprexa gain 22 pounds or more after a year on the drug, and some patients have reported gaining 100 pounds or more. But Lilly was concerned that Zyprexa’s sales would be hurt if the company was more forthright about the fact that the drug might cause unmanageable weight gain or diabetes, according to the documents, which cover the period 1995 to 2004. "
Sign In to E-Mail or Save This
Single Page
Reprints
Share
Digg
Newsvine
Permalink
By ALEX BERENSON
Published: December 17, 2006
The drug maker Eli Lilly has engaged in a decade-long effort to play down the health risks of Zyprexa, its best-selling medication for schizophrenia, according to hundreds of internal Lilly documents and e-mail messages among top company managers.
Skip to next paragraph
Darron Cummings/Associated Press
Zyprexa is Lilly’s top-selling drug, with sales of $4.2 billion last year.
Joshua Borough for The New York Times
James B. Gottstein, a lawyer who represents the mentally ill, said the documents about Zyprexa’s side effects raised public health issues. The documents, given to The Times by a lawyer representing mentally ill patients, show that Lilly executives kept important information from doctors about Zyprexa’s links to obesity and its tendency to raise blood sugar — both known risk factors for diabetes.
Lilly’s own published data, which it told its sales representatives to play down in conversations with doctors, has shown that 30 percent of patients taking Zyprexa gain 22 pounds or more after a year on the drug, and some patients have reported gaining 100 pounds or more. But Lilly was concerned that Zyprexa’s sales would be hurt if the company was more forthright about the fact that the drug might cause unmanageable weight gain or diabetes, according to the documents, which cover the period 1995 to 2004. "
posted by Chris Placitella | 2:23 PM
2 Comments:
Hi,
Live near Albany,NY. Son, who is schizophrenic was on zyprexa for about a year, and when we returned from a long vacation where he was very tired, thirsty and sleeping all the time, the doctor said his sugar was 700!
And we have no familial diabetes!
I have tried for years to do something about it. Early 1999, 2000, 2001, called the FDA and got NOWHERE.
Hired an attorney, who I feel has done absolutely nothing.
Son has been in the Judge Weinstein group in Westchester and we have heard NOTHING. Not from our attorney, nor from downstate.
I just read Lilly has added an extra 500 ml. to the package which will mean that the plaintiff's who have not been settled yet will be getting less than 27K! THis is outrageous.
How do we get out of this group of plaintifif's and these crooked attornies.
My son is doing so badly he will imminently be moved to insulin as all glucose pills have been maxed out and there is no improvement in his condition.
I feel like screaming right now. Is there anything at all I can do to prevent being offered a pittance for a life of diabetic and its related illnesses caused by Eli Lilly?
HELP.............
Hi,
Live near Albany,NY. Son, who is schizophrenic was on zyprexa for about a year, and when we returned from a long vacation where he was very tired, thirsty and sleeping all the time, the doctor said his sugar was 700! This was in 1999.
And we have no familial diabetes!
I have tried for years to do something about it. Early 1999, 2000, 2001, called the FDA and got NOWHERE.
Hired an attorney, who I feel has done absolutely nothing.
Son has been in the Judge Weinstein group in Westchester and we have heard NOTHING. Not from our attorney, nor from downstate.
I just read Lilly has added an extra 500 ml. to the package which will mean that the plaintiff's who have not been settled yet will be getting less than 27K! THis is outrageous.
How do we get out of this settlement group and sue individually?
My son is doing so badly he will, perhapps after this coming Monday, be put on insulin as all glucose pills have been maxed out and there is no improvement in his condition.
I feel like screaming right now. Is there anything at all I can do to prevent being offered a pittance for a life of diabetic and its related illnesses caused by Eli Lilly?
HELP.............
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