Hundreds of internal company documents and e-mails suggest that Eli Lilly covered up concerns about its schizophrenia drug Zyprexa, though the company insists it did not. The evidence was obtained from an attorney representing patients in a lawsuit.
The documents suggest that, over the 10 years the drug has been on the market, the company withheld important information about the drug's links to obesity and increases in blood sugar levels. Both of these symptoms can increase the risk of diabetes.
Evista isn't the only drug that will cause embarrassing problems this year for Eli Lilly. The drugmaker concocted a decade-long scam to protect its number one seller, Zyprexa, according to this New York Times piece.
Diabetes can eliminate 15 years from your life. With such serious risks on the table you would expect a company to protect the interests of its end users. Unfortunately, this just doesn't seem to be the case with most drug companies; they are far more committed to their corporate profits than the benefits to those that purchase their products.
Lilly denies any wrongdoing. In fact, they reminded their drug sales force -- who try to keep your bathroom cabinets full of drugs you don't need -- to conveniently play down reports Zyprexa had been responsible for patients gaining 100 pounds or more after taking it.
And if you wonder why Lilly has been so focused on protecting Zyprexa, a month's supply of the older perphenazine is $60, while Zyprexa costs more than $500 for a comparable supply.
On Vital Votes, reader Daniel from Bangor, Maine reports on another piece of the Zyprexa scandal:
"Zyprexa off label promotion scandal is all over the news now. Lilly drug reps are alleged to have called their marketing ploy, 'Viva zyprexa'."Eli Lilly zyprexa cost me over $250.00 a month supply out of my own pocket X 4 years and has up to ten times the risk (over non users) of causing diabetes and severe weight gain."Zyprexa which is only FDA approved for schizophrenia (.5-1% of pop) and some bipolar (2% pop) ... So how does Zyprexa get to be the 7th largest drug sale in the world? Eli Lilly is in deep trouble for using their drug reps to 'encourage' doctors to write zyprexa for non-FDA approved 'off label' uses. "The drug causes increased diabetes risk, and medicare picks up all the expensive fallout. There are now 7 states (and counting) going after Lilly for fraud and restitution."
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