Eli Lilly Settles 900 More Claims Over Zyprexa

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008801240416

Indianapolis Star

Eli Lilly settles 900 more claims over Zyprexa

January 24, 2008

INDIANAPOLIS -- Eli Lilly and Co. has settled another 900 personal-injury claims against its antipsychotic drug Zyprexa, including five set to go to court next month, thus avoiding what would have been the first trial in the U.S. The Indianapolis drug maker confirmed the settlement Wednesday but declined to reveal the amount. With the latest agreements, Lilly has settled more than 25,000 claims, leaving about 1,100 unsettled. Many of the plaintiffs have claimed Lilly underplayed the drug's side effects, including weight gain and elevated blood sugar. Lilly has set aside $1.2 billion to pay claims.


More on Zyprexa below...

Video: Zyprexa Drug Rep http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nj0LZZzrcrs&feature=related

Video - St. Petersburg Times reporter on Zyprexa: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuK1t474ei4

http://www.sptimes.com/2007/12/16/Worldandnation/Fast_facts_about_Zypr.shtml

St. Petersburg Times
Zyprexa in court
December 16, 2007
Individual claims: Over the past two years, Eli Lilly has paid $1.2-billion to settle lawsuits from some 30,000 people, most of whom claim Zyprexa caused them to develop diabetes. Hundreds more cases are pending.

State claims: Nine states have sued Eli Lilly claiming the company promoted Zyprexa for off-label uses and downplayed its risks. Each state wants to be reimbursed hundreds of millions of dollars in Medicaid dollars paid for Zyprexa.

Florida has not sued and won't comment, though Eli Lilly has said that it received a subpoena in 2005 from the state's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, seeking documents related to the sales, marketing and promotional practices of Zyprexa.

http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/Headlines/frtHEAD02011008.htm

Daytona Beach News Journal

Florida undecided as states sue over costly drug program

January 10, 2008

"Our office is aware of concerns with antipsychotics in Florida's Medicaid program but we cannot acknowledge nor provide any information pertaining to ongoing criminal investigations," said Sandi Copes, a spokeswoman with the Florida Attorney General's office. Florida Medicaid records show the number of children -- some just months old -- who were prescribed the drugs went from 9,364 seven years ago to 18,137 in 2006. No records for privately insured patients are available. "The situation is out of control," said David Cohen, a professor at Florida International University who has been studying the use of antipsychotics since 1983. While no long-term studies have been done on the effects the drugs have on children, there is evidence children on the drugs face greater risks of diabetes, hyperglycemia and extreme weight gain, Cohen said. ; Parent, Richard Davis, said he watched in horror as his daughter Ciara, then 6, gained 40 pounds, developed breasts and had uncontrollable tongue and facial movements. "Those drugs were killing her," Davis said. Over his objections, he said Ciara was given antipsychotics by her mother and while in foster care. A court-appointed guardian also noted the effects in an August 2003 report, describing a visit in which Ciara "never once kept her tongue in her mouth." Ciara, now 11, was taken off the drugs after about a year, her father said, and she quickly dropped the added weight.

http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/Opinion/Editorials/opnOPN28011608.htm

Editorial: Drugs for children? Prescriptions of anti-psychotics troubling

January 16, 2008

... And a state struggling to keep up with rapid changes that have pushed Medicaid costs for powerful anti-psychotic drugs from $9 million seven years ago to almost $30 million in 2006. Something doesn't add up. Do all these children need the drugs they're being prescribed? ... the trend is disturbing. Other states are already pushing hard for answers, and Florida should join in. The drugs in question are known as atypical anti-psychotics and include Risperdal, Abilify, Geodon and Seroquel ... Twenty-six states are exploring legal action against drug companies for unfair trade practices or consumer-p rotection violations (Florida is one of them; the Attorney General's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit served drug manufacturer Eli Lilly with a request in 2005 for information regarding its marketing of the drug Zyprexa.) Other states are being more aggressive; several have actually filed suit seeking to reclaim some of the millions spent on these drugs.
PsychSearch.net

Documented State Lawsuits: http://www.psychsearch.net/lawsuits.html

Antipsychotics - Florida Medicaid Rules: http://www.psychsearch.net/atypicals.html


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