The press in America is focusing in on the conduct of major drug company (including diabetes treatments) Eli Lilly over the controversial schizophrenia drug Zyprexa. The renewed intensity of investigation follows revelations earlier this year that the company may have hidden documents that shows Zyprexa was illegally marketed, and total failure to warn the public of serious health risks associated with the drug. In the decade before the allegations came to light, Zyprexa was netting Eli Lilly hundreds of millions of dollars per year.
Reports from the US say that Lilly must reveal all to the public. Various reports suggest that despite the expense of Zyprexa, other antipsychotic drugs were just as effective without the risks of side effects. Lilly marketers convinced all kinds of medical sources to take the drugs.
Zyprexa was found to cause diabetes amongst many of its users, and according to the New York Times, Lilly knew the situation fully. A variety of companies and associations throughout the USA are filing lawsuits against Lilly for both the money paid for the drug, and all medical costs associated with it. Lilly apparently promote the drug ‘off-label’ throughout the states, prescribing it to children and the elderly alike. The prescriptions are often found to be over-dosed and invalid.
The problem is not limited to American, and Lilly are now facing lawsuits from several different countries, including Canada.
One expert, Dr. Diller, said: “The blame is clear: The money, power and influence of the pharmaceutical industry corrupt all. The pervasive control that the drug companies have over medical research, publications, professional organizations, doctors’ practices, Congress, and yes, even agencies like the FDA, is the American equivalent of a drug cartel.”
