Did Lilly Hide Zyprexa Risks?
Many patients on Zyprexa experienced significant weight gain and high blood sugar; some were also diagnosed with diabetes.
Documents now shown that Lilly was not only aware of the risk of Zyprexa side effects, but that it told sales personnel to hide the risks from doctors. The documents were uncovered during Zyprexa lawsuits filed against the company by patients who had experienced side effects from using the drug.
Major weight gain
According to studies conducted by Lilly, about 30% of patients who used Zyprexa gained 22 pounds or more after a year on the drug.
Lilly attempted to hide the risk of side effects associated with Zyprexa from doctors and their patients. According to internal e-mails and other documents, the company was concerned that coming clean about the links between diabetes, weight gain and Zyprexa would harm sales of the drug.
In one e-mail sent to two dozen Lilly employees, Zyprexa chief scientist Alan Breier wrote that the link between the drug and side effects such as high blood sugar and weight gain were “a major threat to the long-term success” of Zyprexa.
Sales rising along with evidence of Zyprexa risks
Lilly sought to ignore the issue, but evidence of the risks of side effects with Zyprexa continued to mount, company documents show. In 1999, it found that blood sugar levels in patients taking Zyprexa rose steadily for three years. [Timeline of events]
Other surveys conducted by the company found that 70% of psychiatrists prescribing the drug had seen at least one of their patients develop high blood sugar levels, compared with only 20% for the antipsychotic drugs Risperdal and Seroquel.
Continued denials
Despite conceding that the drug could cause weight gain, Lilly continued to deny any link between diabetes and Zyprexa.
Several Zyprexa lawsuits have already been filed against Lilly by patients who experienced Zyprexa side effects while using the drug. In 2005, it agreed to pay a $700 million settlement to 8,000 patients who had developed diabetes or other conditions.