A New York City federal judge ordered drug company Eli Lilly to unseal confidential documents concerning the popular antipsychotic drug Zyprexa (Olanzapine) this past Friday, after a lengthy legal dispute. Yesterday’s New York Times reports:
The decision by Judge Jack B. Weinstein of Federal District Court came as part of a ruling that gave class-action status to a case brought by insurance companies, pension funds and unions that want Lilly to repay them billions of dollars they spent on the drug. They contend that Lilly hid the side effects of the drug and marketed it for unapproved uses.
The confidential documents were produced by Lilly in response to a related lawsuit filed by patients who said that Zyprexa had caused excessive weight gain and diabetes. The papers were placed under a protective court order soon after the suit was filed in 2004.
“Lilly’s legitimate interest in confidentiality does not outweigh the public interest in disclosure at this stage,” Judge Weinstein wrote.
The article goes on to mention that some of the confidential papers were provided in December 2006 to Times reporter Alex Berenson, who used them to write “Eli Lily Said to Play Down Risk of Top Pill”:
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.
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.
Zyprexa has become by far Lilly’s best-selling product, with sales of $4.2 billion last year, when about two million people worldwide took the drug.
Also, months before that article went to press, the FDA was already warning people about Zyprexa’s numerous side effects on its Patient Information Sheet for the drug.
According to yesterday’s Times article, Eli Lilly “denied having withheld [the information used in Berenson’s 2006 article]” and accused Berenson of “cherry-picking” documents to get his argument across.
To me, this whole situation is a textbook example of something that’s all too easy to forget: drug companies are just that, companies, meaning their success depends on making a profit. While we all like to think that people’s health and well-being drive the business decisions of these organizations, that may or may not always be the case.
So, whether you’re on Zyprexa or not, take the time to educate yourself about all of the substances you’re putting into your body. What are the potential side effects? Does there appear to be any controversy over the safety of the substance? What does your health care professional think? Who did the research trials on this drug, and where did they get their research money?
Resources: Zyprexa Safety Information from Eli Lilly
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Conspirama (9/7/2008)
10 Comments to
“Did Eli Lilly Downplay Zyprexa’s Health Risks?”
Big deal! It’s not the first time this lame company has minimized and trivialized the toxicities of their meds. Look up what they tried to pull with Prozac (fluoxetine) back in the mid 1990’s. More specifically, look up what they tried to pull in Kentucky when they were sued for the wrongful deaths after a man committed multiple murders and suicide just after starting prozac in 1995: they made a deal with the plantiffs behind the judge’s back as they knew what was going to be presented by the plaintiffs was going to expose Lilly’s flagrant malfeasance.
You think these pharmaceutical companies care if their products have an appreciable negative side effect if 50% of recipients have no problems? Let me tell you my threshold for side effect issues that limit my prescribing habits: if a side effect occurs more than 5-10% of the time that has a significant level of disruption, even if more patients than not say they would be willing to put up with it, I DO NOT WRITE FOR IT!!!
About 50% of patients seem to gain appreciable weight with Zyprexa, and glucose and triglyceride elevations occur at least 20+% as well. Who the hell is writing for this drug in 2008 as a first line med? Someone who is either clueless or tied in with Lilly. Scary stuff out there folks. Wait ’til we learn of Seroquel’s hidden poisons when Astra Zeneca’s mission to be number one in antipsychotic sales comes home to roost!
therapyfirst (board certified psychiatrist)
I could be *totally* anti-Zyprexa since I gained probably around 30 pounds (I’m not sure because I don’t frequently weigh myself, but I lost about 20 the first month after I went off of it), but it seems to have worked for me when other things didn’t, so I can’t totally hate it.
Zyprexa has generated a lot of bad press for Eli Lilly and they still have unresolved Zyprexa settlement claims.
Eli Lilly is ‘reaping the whirlwind’ for aggressive marketing of Zyprexa that has caused suffering and deaths.
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Daniel Haszard Zyprexa patient who got diabetes from it.
my son (Corytook zyprexa and he hasn’t been him-self since taking it. he gained over 1000 lbs.he has high blood perssure and thyroid problem, and he has diabetes, terrible mood swings and makes weirds sounds. he has been banned from stores because of his behaviour and blood sugar elevating causing him to holler out in the stores. he has also been abused because of some not knowing what was wrong with him. his nerves are damaged and all because it took them so long to treat his condition and he was on zyprexa for over four years. i thank God that he is still alive after taking zyprexa and then seroquel has worsened his condition. please each and everyone be careful if you’re on either one of these medications. God bless you!!
my son (Corytook zyprexa and he hasn’t been him-self since taking it. he gained over 1000 lbs.he has high blood perssure and thyroid problem, and he has diabetes, terrible mood swings and makes weirds sounds. he has been banned from stores because of his behaviour and blood sugar elevating causing him to holler out in the stores. he has also been abused because of some not knowing what was wrong with him. his nerves are damaged and all because it took them so long to treat his condition and he was on zyprexa for over four years. i thank God that he is still alive after taking zyprexa and then seroquel has worsened his condition. please each and everyone be careful if you’re on either one of these medications. God bless you!!
Serious topic. Here’s an article that well describes how the industry got into this mess. See “Ask Your Doctor” at inhttp://writingfrontier.com/2008/07/12/hello-world/ the first place.
I want to learn that, shizophrenia getting batter with psychotherapy.. Thank you for this subject for now.
Sorry for my english. I mean that: Is shizophrenia getting better with psychotherapy.. I want to learn for this because i used risperdal consta when I got sick. But My new doctor is really good. I’m using risperdal, cipralex, akineton and anafranil.. What do you think these medicines? Thank you.
Hi, Psychology,
I’m not a pharmacist or a psychiatrist, so I don’t think I’m qualified to offer you advice about your medications. I recommend talking with your doctor — you said he or she is very good, so I’m sure you’ll get the most up-to-date information specific to you and your situation.
Best of luck,
Renée
Thank you so much Renée.
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Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 7 Sep 2008
