Eli Lilly Said to Play Down Risk of Top Pill

[cal04]

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.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/17/business/17drug.html?hp&ex=1166331600&en=a51ef34dc0ae51e8&ei=5094&partner=homepage

[ShockediSay]

1. The "ethical drug" industry

is what they used to call this business.

[Lurking Dem]

2. That's so they can move them on to insulin.

I'd add a sarcasm icon but I'm not so sure I'm kidding.

[alittlelark]

3. If you had schizophrenia you would want that info.

I detest Big Pharma, but this drug has had astounding results.


Do you want your brain to work, or would you rather be thin?

No one has figured out WHY it creates weight gain (it DOES).


Given that we only use 8-12% of our brain,,, this is likely a 92-88% result.

I have damned Big Pharma many times on this board, but this medication has proven its' worth. Patients that are now able to think normally and are gaining weight will stick with it.

Perhaps the reason for the weight gain can be established... someday.


Edited for freeper-spelling

[Odin2005]

6. "Given that we only use 8-12%" That's a myth.

[Roland99]

4. "We don't need no regulation. We don't need no corp. control."

[depakid]

5. Jail time for the major players

- might prevent a recurrence.

That and stripping everyone involved of their ill gotten "profits."