June 12, 2009 10:08 AM
- Text
Eli Lilly Exaggerated Reviews, Suit Claims
(CBS)
Lawsuits brought by insurers and pension funds seeking to get back money spent on the drug Zyprexa, which they claim Eli Lilly overpriced and exaggerated its effectiveness, revealed internal memos within the company that it practiced "ghostwriting."
Additionally, Bloomberg reports the pharmaceutical giant set guidelines on hiring researches who would write glowing reviews of its products.
Zyprexa is Eli Lilly's top-selling drug, amassing nearly $5 billion for the company in 2008, Bloomberg reports.
"Plaintiffs are releasing one-sided, cherry-picked documents obtained in discovery to selected news media in an effort to try their cases" there, Eli Lilly spokeswoman Marni Lemons told Bloomberg. "Lilly remains prepared to defend ourselves against all of these allegations in the appropriate venue, a court of law."
In January, Eli Lilly plead guilty to charges that it marketed Zyprexa in ways never proven safe or effective, CBS News investigative correspondent Sharyl Attkisson reported. The charges cost the drugmaker $1.4 billion.
Click here to read Bloomberg's report.
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