Lilly's Art of Ignoring Drug's Diabetes Risk [1]
Submitted by Bob Burton [2] on
Internal documents from the global drug company Eli Lilly [3] reveal that it trained its sales force to avoid discussing the diabetes risk from Zyprexa [4], a drug used to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. After research revealed that some patients gained weight and had high blood sugar levels that presented an increased risk of diabetes, an internal company sales document stated that "we believe it is essential to weaken this link to neutralize the diabetes/hyperglycemia issue. ... Neutralizing any concern from our customers will be essential to the future growth of Zyprexa in the marketplace," reports Bloomberg. The document came to light during court proceedings in Alaska. In 2002, the drug's sales force was advised, "We will NOT proactively address the diabetes concern. ... The competition wins if we are distracted into talking about diabetes."