Zyprexa Users Fight Back

Filed in archive News on January 18, 2007

Many users who take Zyprexa, a popular anti-psychotic drug, have received a nasty surprise: diabetes.

Now, those affected by the alarming side effect are suing the drug's manufacturer, claiming that documents containing crucial information have been hidden.

MindFreedom - an international coalition of groups defending the rights of those suffering with psychiatric disorders - is one of several groups and individuals hit by a temporary injunction blocking them from posting the documents or linking to other Web sites that post them. A hearing is scheduled for Tuesday in a New York district court.

The dispute erupted after the New York Times obtained the materials - e-mails, scientific reports and marketing materials - and published several stories in December about the drug Zyprexa.

The documents showed that for years Eli Lilly downplayed the risk of weight gain, high blood sugar and diabetes among patients taking the drug, according to the New York Times. The stories said 30 percent of patients taking Zyprexa gained 22 pounds or more after a year and that several patients gained 100 pounds.

A lot of you have written to me about this very issue. Do you think this lawsuit is necessary? What sort of recriminations should Eli Lilly face?