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Mississippi settles Zyprexa suit against Lilly for over $18M

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Mississippi will receive $18.5 million from Indianapolis-based drugmaker Eli Lilly and Co. as part of a settlement over claims the company promoted the anti-psychotic Zyprexa for ailments it was not federally approved to treat, Attorney General Jim Hood said Thursday.

The settlement recovers money the state spent through its Division of Medicaid and the State Insurance Plan, Hood said. Lilly also will pay $3.7 million in legal fees for the state.

Mississippi is one of 13 states that sued over Zyprexa. Lilly spokeswoman Marni Lemons said settlements have been reached in seven others—Alaska, West Virginia, Connecticut, New Mexico, Idaho, Utah and South Carolina. Suits in Montana, Minnesota, Louisiana, Arkansas and Pennsylvania are still pending, she said.

The company paid a $1.4 billion settlement to the federal government in January 2009 after admitting it had promoted Zyprexa in elderly populations for treatment of dementia between 1999 and 2001.

Hood said Zyprexa was approved by the Federal Drug Administration for "major psychotic problems," but he said the company hired representatives who promoted the drug to physicians for use for any kind of depression.

"Unfortunately, the studies later found that the drug could cause diabetes so it did more harm than good," Hood said.

Lemons said there was no scientific proof Zyprexa causes diabetes. The company has not admitted any wrongdoing in the Mississippi settlement.

Under the agreement, the company cannot make any claim about Zyprexa that is false, misleading or deceptive and the drug cannot be promoted for off-label uses, Hood said.

The settlement money will go into Mississippi's general fund and comes at a time when the state's revenue collections are projected to be far below estimates for the current fiscal year. Gov. Haley Barbour already has cut $437 million from the state spending plan.


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  • Zyprexia & Diabetes
    I was prescribed Zyprezia in 2000 while working at the Pentagon in DC. and developed Diabetes 12-18 months later.

    How do I get involved in the Class Action Suite?

    Thanks
  • Zyprexa Damages

    Prescribed off label for PTSD was ineffective
    Gave me diabetes cost thousands in co-pays made me sleepy



    *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.his is for a product that we put in our children's bodies.



    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.

    --
    Daniel Haszard Zyprexa Whistle-blower

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  1. something to take iman's mind off CART,,,the league itsownself doesn't do it

  2. Someone mentioned a green roof. Every designer of a new urban building should be required to at least explore the feasibility of a green roof. The ability to cut carbon dioxide, save precious rainwater (drought this summer??) and re-use grey water, cool the building cheaper, and improve the view for neighbors, should be, not only the good neighbor thing to do, it should be the responsible neighbor thing to do. Too bad the city didn't require it when they gave up downtown green space for the Simon Building. Surprised they aren't requiring it now.

  3. About the same means down, like the TV ratings.

    My favorite tradition that needs to be brought back is the 25/8 rule.

  4. Your stats are incorrect. The 85k Government employees working in Marion County includes all government workers in Marion county. That is state, federal, non profit agencies, city and county. The stats the article list is the number of employees for all of the city/county employees and it is correct. That number includes the library, airport, convention center, and so on. The policy of extending benefits to domestic partners is consistent with private sector companies of the same size. Isn't the mantra of most conservatives "run the government like a business."

    Also, too say the "fiscal proposil is huge" without considering the actuarial factors involved is a bit of an overstatement. We really don't know if it is huge or not. If all of the people added to the plan are healthy and don't have claims then it could bring cost done or hold them neutral.

  5. There are 85,346 government employees in Marion county according to Stats Indiana.

    My understanding is that this proposal covers not only same sex partners and children, but opposite same sex partners who are not married and any kids.

    It also covers all city and county employees, plus municipal corporations which use city/county benefits packages including Health and Hospital Corporation (Wishard), Indianapolis Airport Authority, Indianapolis Convention Center,Lucas Oil,Bankers Life, Indianapolis Marion County Library, and Indianapolis Public Transportation Corporation (IndyGo).

    Certainly Indianapolis Public Schools will also want more benefits also.

    The fiscal cost on this proposal is huge.

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