WASHINGTON, Jan. 15, 2009
Eli Lilly Owes $1.4B Over "Off Label" Use
CBS Evening News: Drugmaker Settles To End Investigation Of Marketing Practices For
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Play CBS Video Video Eli Lilly's $1.4 Billion Crime Eli Lilly has pled guilty to marketing the sometimes dangerous drug Zyprexa in ways never proven safe or effective. The company will be fined $1.4 billion reckless behavior. Sharyl Attkisson reports.
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When she was 18, Alicia Adams started taking Zyprexa. Within months, she ballooned from 93 lbs. to 170 lbs. and developed severe diabetes. (CBS)
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Eli Lilly will pay out $1.4 billion to end an investigation of its marketing practices of Zyprexa. (CBS)
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"The depression got worse," she said. "I closed myself off from everyone - stayed in my bedroom. I didn't do much of anything."
Thursday, Eli Lilly, which makes Zyprexa, plead guilty to charges so egregious they're criminal: marketing the sometimes dangerous drug in ways never proven safe or effective, CBS News investigative correspondent Sharyl Attkisson reports.
Zyprexa is only FDA-approved to treat a specific bipolar disorder and severe schizophrenia. But millions have taken it for unapproved or so-called "off label" use, including:
Prosecutors say Eli Lilly engaged an army of thousands of sales representatives in widespread illegal marketing.
They were "trained to use the slogan 'five at five,' meaning five milligrams at 5 o'clock at night will keep these elderly patients quiet," said Laurie Magid, acting U.S. Attorney for the eastern district of Pennsylvania.
Problem is: Zyprexa has serious side effects including weight gain, diabetes, even heart failure.
Shahram Ahari is a former Eli Lilly sales rep and told his story for an education project for doctors.
"Seizures, things like that have happened as well. And those are, you know, pretty catastrophic side effects to have in your patient," Ahari said.
Eli Lilly has agreed to pay $1.4 billion, including the largest criminal fine ever imposed on a corporation. Ironically, that's about as much as the company's Zyprexa sales in the first quarter last year.
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More From CBS News Investigates
Add a Comment See all 27 Comments
- "FIVE at FIVE"
The Zyprexa antipsychotic drug,whose side effects can include weight gain and diabetes, was sold for "children in foster care, people who have trouble sleeping, elderly in nursing homes." Five at Five was the Zyprexa sales rep slogan, meaning 5mg dispensed at 5pm would keep patients quiet.
Google * Eli Lilly Zyprexa * and read the links,this is for a product that we put in our children's bodies.This drug company has a reputation a little better than a mafia drug lord.
BTW-I took Zyprexa it gave me diabetes and was as addictive as tobacco.How so?
Because withdrawal is accompanied by severe insomnia for 6 weeks.It was harder to quit Zyprexa than cigarettes.
Awful stuff and $10 a pill
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Daniel Haszard http://www.zyprexa-victims.com
Eli Lilly is reaping what they have sown!
The Lilly Zyprexa saga will go on and on and on..... - Reply to this comment
- DEAR ALL
ZYPREXA AND many Others preparations have been attempted with the patient Mr. AAA in the last decades, we have to stop this drugs!
More information of Mr. innocent AAA on
www.FREEABDULLE.info
IT IS CHOKING HISTORY
do not go to this links
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http://74.125.77.132/translate_c?hl=en&langpair=da%7Cen&u=http://www.freeabdulle.info/index.php%3Foption%3Dcom_content%26view%3Darticle%26id%3D45%253Apatient-pa-psykiatrisk-hospital-fik-overdosis-i-arevis%26catid%3D1%253Alatest-news%26Itemid%3D1&client=tmpg&usg=ALkJrhgzHcYo7Cpd5UAd-vVccvbW0c0AHw - Reply to this comment
- An unanswered question is, "How much did Eli Lilly make on the off label use?" $1.4 billion may sound like a lot but it''s not if Eli Lilly made $1.5 billion -- leaves a cool $0.1 billion profit. All the more reason for them to do it again.
Posted by lennypw at 1:21 PM : Jan 17, 2009
Try reading the article again--its much worse than that. Lillys made 1.5 billion in the last Quarter--to find out how much they made in 1 year--multiply by 4 or 6 billion in one year. To find out how much they made over all--theoretically take 6 BILLION X how ever long the drug has been on the market--THAT is how much they made. Now subtract the 1.4 billion from the total and that is how much of what they made, they kept . - Reply to this comment
- An unanswered question is, "How much did Eli Lilly make on the off label use?" $1.4 billion may sound like a lot but it''s not if Eli Lilly made $1.5 billion -- leaves a cool $0.1 billion profit. All the more reason for them to do it again.
- Reply to this comment
- Posted by cbs_bull
------------------ (Don''''t know why. The ABC News has blocked my ids from posting comments ...
This is one of the reasons I watch CBS and am a regular reading this web site. While things are not perfect on CBS I know that Couric wanted openness and freedom when she took over as the anchor. So far CBS has been happy to go along with the idea of truth in feedback. They need to try harder on stories that ruffle the feathers of government and big business but for a commercial enterprise they are doing pretty good. I hope they keep it up and that you keep on posting honest opinions - Reply to this comment
- HAVEN''''T YOU HEARD? OFF-LABEL MARKETING IS NOW PERFECTLY LEGAL!
THIS $1.4B FINE IS FOR WHAT THEY DID BEFORE IT WAS LEGAL. - Reply to this comment
- I''m with you abby1963. What credible Dr. diagnosis'' a 3 yr old as bi polar?
- Reply to this comment
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I have a son who at 3yrs old was diagnosed with bipolar. Through out the years he has taken many medications and Zyprexa was one of them. He too gained quit a bit of weight on the medicine and had a few heart problems. He is also has ADHD, ODD, some Anxiety and Depression.
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Any doctor diagnosing a three year old with bipolar should be questioned. Bipolar usually develops in older teenagers and young adults.
I''m posting the link of a very informative article on WebMD:
http://www.webmd.com/bipolar-disorder/guide/bipolar-children-teens - Reply to this comment
- so what does this mean to people that have been affected by this drug, my son almost died because of it. and no lawyer would even look at his medical records, before saying it was to late for us to file suite against them.
- Reply to this comment
- Who do I talk to about my son''s problems on the medicine Zyprexa
- Reply to this comment
- I have a son who at 3yrs old was diagnosed with bipolar. Through out the years he has taken many medications and Zyprexa was one of them. He too gained quit a bit of weight on the medicine and had a few heart problems. He is also has ADHD, ODD, some Anxiety and Depression.
- Reply to this comment
- Profits before people. Guys this is a free market issue, we can''t go restricting businesses or how they make their money. It hurts the economy. This is American and capitalism is king. We should be looking if maybe there''s a similar way to increase insurance company profits too.
- Reply to this comment
- HAVEN''T YOU HEARD? OFF-LABEL MARKETING IS NOW PERFECTLY LEGAL!
THIS $1.4B FINE IS FOR WHAT THEY DID BEFORE IT WAS LEGAL. - Reply to this comment
- The editor of www.woestpills.org is now the director of drug safety for the FDA. This kind of disastrous bad drug will be off the market lickety split. Or else not, if the corruption is too deep. We''ll see.
- Reply to this comment
- With running mates like Ken Lay (a frequent visitor of the White House and a key note speaker at the GOP National Convention, Bush has run the biggest scam in American History. Practically the only time he ever lifted a finger was to hand out money to corporations and the wealthy. With the Republican climate of anything goes for business it was no surprise that we have had so many swindles come to light. The GOP is Organized Crime at the highest levels of Government. Do not kid yourself into thinking that Bush and Karl (Mr. No Tort Allowed) Rove had anything to do with any action against Eli Lilly. All the Bush Administration ever did was give them billions in tax subsidies and make it illegal for Medicare to negotiate drug costs.
alphaa10000 is NOT THE MORON here! - Reply to this comment
- And these are the people who have for years given to the Repubican party to ensure that they could do as they pleased.
Well, this is what you get folks soon when things like this start to effect all of us everyone will be saying I can fix it but lets see who broke it. The GOP will say oh no we can do it better even though we broke it.
I for one have had enough of deregulation and the trickly down economy brough to you by the hero Regan.
Never again. - Reply to this comment
- Zyprexa (Olanzapine) is a nasty drug. I am surprised it is still on the market.
- Reply to this comment
- Not much difference between Eli Lilly and dealers selling crack . . .
- Reply to this comment
- "This is the price of Bush and his GOP doctrine of DEregulation."
Hmmmmm, these people were found out, prosecuted, and found guilty DURING the Bush administration. Your comment seems to lack any credibility whatsoever, moron. - Reply to this comment
- Should we have done unnecessary surgery on all those patients, just to avoid "off label" use??
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Posted by lf1952
There''s nothing wrong with off-label use if it''s SAFE. Here Eli Lilly is promoting a fairly dangerous drug for off-label use, and the risks far outweight hte benefits and they knew it. THAT is unconscionable...but nowadays, it seems nobody has a conscience to begin with! - Reply to this comment
