Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY)’s Zyprexa® (olanzapine) is indicated in the United States for the short- and long-term treatment of schizophrenia, acute mixed and manic episodes of bipolar I disorder, and maintenance treatment of bipolar disorder.
Zyprexa® was first introduced in 1996 and is not approved for the treatment of patients with dementia-related psychosis.
In the January 4 issue of New York Times, a profiled patient’s cause of death was blamed to Zyprexa®. In reaction to the said article, Eli Lilly believes that is not accurate that one single factor like medication is a cause of one’s unfortunate death as stated in the following statement:
Millions of patients around the world have benefited from Zyprexa and Lilly is concerned that this tragic story about a single patient could unnecessarily frighten people with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder and cause them to discontinue their medication without first consulting a physician.
Furthermore, we are disappointed that the Times chose to focus its entire article on only one patient rather than speaking with additional patients and/or family members who have different views and experiences with Zyprexa.
We encourage patients or caregivers with questions to consult their treating physicians or to call Lilly at 1-800-LILLY-RX.
Read the rest of Eli Lilly’s statement here.
Click here for the abovementioned NY Times article.
This I only have to say on the matter: a conclusion cannot be based on a few cases, lest alone a single case.
Zyprexa zenith to zonked
On November 28, 2001, the Journal of the American Medical Association published a letter written by Dr. Elizabeth Koller, an FDA medical officer, Dr. P. Murali Doraiswamy, a Duke University psychiatrist warning that according to FDA's MedWatch data, patients taking olanzapine (Zyprexa) were 10 times more likely to become diabetic than the general population. [JAMA Vol. 286 No. 20.]
The black box warning was put up too late mates!
At a glance,zyprexa was promoted 'off label' to uses that weren't FDA approved.This opens up a can of worms for patients like myself who took it for PTSD for which it was ineffective and moreover gave me diabetes.
It was Eli Lilly that manufactured,promoted and exaggerated the efficacy of it's defective zyprexa product.
Blaming my doctors or myself is like blaming the Supermarket vedor for a tainted brand name food product produced by a longtime trusted supplier.
If i bought a can of General Mills Green Giant string beans that had botulism I would blame the Jolly Green Giant wouldn't you?
True,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 drug sale by their own admission.
This is for a drug that won't get you "high" cost $2.50 a pill and only indicated for less than 1% of the population.
Hello! Somebody in Lilly land is pushing zyprexa hard-Daniel Haszard
Posted by: Daniel Haszard | January 7, 2007 8:03 PM | Permalink to Comment