The State settlement would be used to resolve civil investigations related to Zyprexa.
San Francisco, CA, January 19, 2009 — Florida gets 35 million, Ohio 32, Texas 30, Missouri 18, and Kansas 1 million. Eli Lilly & Co. an Indianapolis Company has agreed to pay $1.42 billion in a settlement with federal prosecutors in regards to allegations of improperly marketing its antipsychotic drug Zyprexa. Zyprexa is a brand name for the drug olanzapine.
News reports from court documents indicate Eli Lilly will pay $615 million to settle a criminal investigation and nearly $800 million of which $438 million will go to the federal government and $362 million will be available for settlements with States. The State settlement would be used to resolve civil investigations related to Zyprexa. According to the New York Times this settles eighteen thousand cases, but there are still twelve hundred cases pending.
According to various news reports the settlement with the Justice Department, One of BigPharma’s top antidepressant and antipsychotic drug promoters Eli Lilly agreed to plead guilty to a misdemeanor violation of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act relating to the off-label marketing of Zyprexa between the years 1999 and 2001. The guilty plea came about from the company’s promotion of Zyprexa to elderly people as treatment for dementia, including Alzheimer’s, although the drug isn’t approved for such use.
The company said it disagrees with and doesn’t admit to the allegations, but would settle the dispute. Eli Lilly and other pharmaceutical companies have agreed in the past to settle cases out of court. They have made settlements to a number of civil cases which helps avoid public scrutiny, and long drawn out court disputes.
Potential civil cases are imminent from Insurers, pension funds and unions. They have accused Eli Lilly of suppressing the side effects of Zyprexa such as weight gain, diabetes, and for promoting the drugs for other uses. Zyprexa is Eli Lilly’s best selling drug, and it is used to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder which is the FDA’s only approved uses.
The company made approximately $4 billion last year in global sales. This vast arsenal of money, psychiatric and media support helps market their line of drugs for all sorts of maladies. Legally, physicians may use drugs that have already been approved for a particular purpose for any other purpose they choose, but such use should be based on good published scientific evidence. Eli Lilly decided to market Zyprexa for an unapproved use and now they are paying for it. More and more reports are becoming evident with the over prescription of antipsychotic and antidepressants. The true effects of these drugs are hidden in the fine print. Families and healthcare workers need to vigilant in what is best for the patient, and pharmaceutical drugs are not the answer. There are many alternatives to simply taking a prescribed drug.
Stop Foundation Inc. www.stoprx.org Stop Foundation Inc. was formed to make the public aware of the effects of psychotropic drugs. We have a wealth of information including books and many alternative remedies you can pursue. Please visit the website and donate if you can.
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Neil Byrne
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