Eli Lilly, the drug maker, is charged of having concealed
the dangers the dangerous side effects of Zyprexa to protect sales of the
popular schizophrenia medicine.
If they put a warning on this product, their sales would
fall," Scott Allen, an attorney for Alaska said Wednesday, in the state’s
lawsuit against the drug company. "They would lose money. People would
choose another drug, and they decided not to disclose what they knew."
Alaska is suing to recover the money it claims it paid as
compensation for Medicaid patients who developed serious health problems after
using Zyprexa. Eight other states have sued Eli Lilly over Zyprexa, but Alaska
is the first one to go to trial. The other states are Pennsylvania, West
Virginia, Utah, New Mexico, Mississippi, South Carolina, Montana and Louisiana.
An attorney for the drug company said that Lilly will
eventually prove that Zyprexa met the Food and Drug Administration labeling
requirements and that doctors were fully aware of the drug’s side effects,
including weight gain.
The company declared that it was proud to sell Zyprexa,
which is a relief for a large number of people who suffer from severe mental
illnesses.
According to the New York Times, the jury was divided by
Judge Rinder into two parts. In the first part, the jury will decide whether
Lilly is liable for failing to adequately warn physicians about Zyprexa’s risk.
If the decision says that Lilly is not guilty, then the case ends.
If Lilly is found to be liable, a second jury will be chosen
to hear a trial that will decide whether Zyprexa sickened the people who took
it and how much the company must pay in compensation.