In addition to a compilation of published studies, the PsychRights' website has a wealth of information about psychiatric medications. However, in light of the above injunction, who knows how long it will be permitted to provide information about the dangers of Zyprexa.
The internal Lilly documents that Mr Gottstein provided to the Times cover the period 1995 to 2004, and clearly show that Lilly tried to hide information about Zyprexa's link to drastic weight gain even after it knew that 30% of patients on Zyprexa (olanzapine) for more than a year gained 22 pounds, and some as much as 100, a factor known to cause type-2 diabetes.
As far back as November 1999, emails show that Lilly was worried that if the risks became know it would hurt sales. "Olanzapine-associated weight gain and possible hyperglycemia is a major threat to the long-term success of this critically important molecule," Dr Alan Breier wrote to Lilly employees that announced the formation of an "executive steering committee for olanzapine-associated weight changes and hyperglycemia."
In 2000, a group of diabetes doctors retained by Lilly to consider a possible link between diabetes and Zyprexa warned Lilly that "unless we come clean on this, it could get much more serious than we might anticipate," in an email from one Lilly manager to another, quoted in the Times.
In March 2002, a document shows that Lilly dismissed a plan to give psychiatrists information about how to treat diabetes, worrying that it would remind them of the risk. "Although M.D.'s like objective, educational materials, having our reps provide some with diabetes would further build its association to Zyprexa," a Lilly manager wrote in an email quoted in the Times.
In 1999 and 2000, Lilly considered ways to convince primary care doctors who did not see patients with schizophrenia or manic depression, to prescribe Zyprexa. In one document, an unnamed Lilly marketing executive wrote that these doctors "do treat dementia" but "do not treat bipolar; schizophrenia is handled by psychiatrists."
As a result, "dementia should be first message," of a campaign to primary doctors, according to the document, the Times said.
It also noted that some primary care doctors "might prescribe outside of label."
If an epidemic of adult schizophrenia and manic-depression occurred since Zyprexa came on the market in 1996, I find it amazing that I somehow missed it.
But I must have because the Times describes a 2001 company meeting with Zyprexa sales representatives, where a Mr Bandick praised 16 sales reps for the number of prescriptions they had convinced doctors to write, according to a script prepared in advance of the meeting.
The Times states: "More than 100 other representatives had convinced doctors to write at least 16 extra prescriptions and thus "maxed out on a pretty sweet incentive," Mr Bandick said.
So the question here is, how could 100 sales reps get doctors to write prescriptions for a drug only approved for schizophrenia or manic depression for 16 more people if they were not promoting the drug for other uses?
Lilly apparently expects us to be stupid enough to believe that all these doctors in every state in the US, many of whom were general practitioners, came up with the idea to prescribe Zyprexa to every Tom, Dick and Mary for every indication under the sun right out of the blue.
Information for injured parties can be found at Lawyers and Settlements.com
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) and then an even smaller percentage of theses two groups.
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.
Only 9 percent of adult Americans think the pharmaceutical industry can be trusted right around the same rating as big tobacco.
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Daniel Haszard www.zyprexa-victims.com
by
Danny Haszard (2 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 52 comments)
on Wednesday, December 20, 2006 at 1:50:52 AM
Eli Lilly say's,leaked documents don't convey the 'whole picture' but what is compelling is that zyprexa is the 7th some say 5th largest drug sell in the world and Eli Lilly's #1 by their own admission.
This is for a drug that can be $2.50 a pill and won't get you high,and is only FDA approved for 1% of the population.
Somebody in Lilly land is pushing zyprexa hard. Daniel Haszard
by
Danny Haszard (2 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 52 comments)
on Wednesday, December 20, 2006 at 1:56:02 AM
