History of Zyprexa

Zyprexa (generically known as Olanzapine) is a drug that has been approved for treatment of schizophrenia and bipolar mania. The drug has now been linked to diabetes mellitus, hyperglycemia, pancreatitis, and blood sugar disorders. So far, 288 cases of diabetes have been reported in Zyprexa patients; 23 of those cases proved fatal.

Warnings about Zyprexa

As early as 2002, two international bodies issued warnings about Zyprexa and diabetes-related complications. Those international bodies were the Japanese Health and Welfare Ministry and the Great Britain Medicines Control Agency. Because of these warnings, Eli Lilly changed Zyprexa's labels in the United Kingdom and Japan to include the risk of diabetes-related complications. However, the company did not notify the United States FDA about the matter.

In 2003 the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning about the risk of hyperglycemia in all atypical anti-psychotic drugs.

The Makers of Zyprexa

Zyprexa is manufactured by Eli Lilly & Co. The drug maker has been accused of promoting Zyprexa as safe and effective, even though they were aware of the harmful side effects associated with Zyprexa. Recently, courts have found that Eli Lilly & Co. hid the risk of side effects related to Zyprexa use from consumers.

There are also a number of lawsuits in the United States alleging that Eli Lilly illegally marketed Zyprexa for "off label"(non-approved) uses such as treatment of mood, thought, and behavioral disturbances.

Despite the risks associated with taking Zyprexa, there are also risks to stopping any medication abruptly. Patients who are taking Zyprexa but are considering discontinuing the drug should speak with their physician first about their options.

Zyprexa News

[ ZYPREXA: South East Texas Record ] Aug-22-07: Parents, believing Zyprexa was at the root of their son's untimely death, are suing the drug's maker, Eli Lilly & Company and have filed suit on Aug. 20.

[ ZYPREXA: Injuryboard.com ] Jul-02-07: The FDA told drugmaker Eli Lilly it would delay the approval of its new drug Symbyax because the agency wanted more information about the risk of diabetes in the medicine's prescribing label. Symbyax combines Lilly's antipsychotic pill Zyprexa and the antidepressant Prozac. Zyprexa has already been shown to cause diabetes and pancreatitis.

[ ZYPREXA: Tehachapi News ] May-26-07: A big hurdle with the Zyprexa issue is Lilly's credibility over their continuous PR on how they are going to pay out $1.2 billion -- as long as they keep up this rhetoric and don't actually pay the issue won't go away.

[ ZYPREXA: World Net Daily ] Apr-23-07: Was Cho's killing spree at Virginia Tech, linked to psychotic drugs such as Zyprexa? Experts claim many school shootings can be linked to prescription drugs.

[ ZYPREXA: Emediawire ] Feb-23-07: Eli Lilly documents show the company intentionally downplayed the drug's side effects which include weight gain and high blood sugar, which can lead to diabetes.

[ ZYPREXA: Presszoom ] Feb-19-07: A U.S. District Court judge today refused Eli Lilly's request to ban a number of websites from publishing leaked documents relating to Zyprexa, Eli Lilly's top-selling drug.