Eli Lilly loses: Louisiana wins $20 million for illegal marketing of ZYPREXA

VIA IndyStar:

"Louisiana will receive $20 million in a settlement with pharmaceutical maker Eli Lilly and Co. over its marketing of the anti-psychotic drug Zyprexa, the state attorney general said Wednesday.

Louisiana was one of 13 states that filed individual suits in state courts over allegations that Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly pushed the drug for uses that had not been approved by federal regulators."

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This makes 11 of 13 states receiving settlement, with Minnesota and Pennsylvania lawsuits remain pending.

The Louisiana lawsuit alleged that Eli Lilly marketed the use of the antipsychotic Zyprexa for use in children, for which the drug was not approved for use. The off-label use of the drug was also given for insomnia, mood stablization and ADHD.

This marketing practice by Eli Lilly, in my opinion placed children such as my own in grave danger.

My daughter at age 11 gained 100lbs., her eyes had dysfunction where they would roll up and get stuck for hours, unable to look down, she could not do her reading or homework.

She was given the drug as a "5 at 5"--the exact slogan (Viva Zyprexa) the marketing team at Eli Lilly promoted--5 mg at 5pm--this 5 o'clock pill ended up being a nightmare. When she titrated off of it at age 17 she had horrific withdrawals.

All of that brought to her life via a wrong diagnosis of childhood bipolar disorder. The internal documents for Zyprexa can be viewed HERE, at Furious Seasons.