Idaho has joined the queue of states--and unions and other third-party payers--that are suing Eli Lilly over Zyprexa marketing. Like the other plaintiffs, Idaho alleges that Lilly illegally marketed Zyprexa for a laundry list of off-label uses, including depression, insomnia, separation anxiety, phobic disorders and so on.
And like the others, Idaho doesn't just want to recoup its costs for the drug itself, but for "the effects of the drug, the long-term treatment of people who are diabetic or severely obese now," the state's deputy attorney general Brett DeLange told the Idaho Statesman. As you know, Lilly has issued warnings about the drug's links to weight gain and diabetes--but Lilly has also been accused of failing to warn of those side effects as soon as it knew about them.
Recently, Lilly agreed to pay the State of Alaska $15 million to settle the first Zyprexa case brought to trial. Now the company is fighting to keep some documents in that case under court seal. And Lilly is reportedly negotiating with the feds to settle a number of Zyprexa claims. Stay tuned.
- check out the story in the Statesman
- read the Pharmalot item