R.I. to share in penalty

-ProvidenceJournal

06/18/2009 - Rhode Island, 35 other states, the District of Columbia and the federal government have reached an agreement with Eli Lilly and Co. to settle allegations that that drugmaker engaged in a six-year “off-label” marketing campaign that improperly promoted the anti-psychotic drug Zyprexa.

The Rhode Island Department of Human Services will receive $1.297 million of the $800 million in damages and penalties that Eli Lilly will pay the states and the federal government to compensate Medicaid and various federal health-care programs. DHS administers Medicaid, the joint state-federal health insurance program for low-income Americans.

The settlement refers to Eli Lilly’s “Viva Zyprexa” marketing campaign, which the company conducted from 1999 through 2005, in which the company promoted the sale and use of Zyprexa for certain uses that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had not approved. Zyprexa is one of a newer generation of anti-psychotic medications used to treat certain psychological disorders. Specifically, Eli Lilly promoted the drug not only to psychiatrists but also to primary care physicians for such “off-label” and unapproved uses as the treatment of depression, anxiety, irritability, disrupted sleep, nausea and gambling addiction.

If you or a loved one have experienced Zyprexa side effects you may be entitled to compensation. Contact the Zyprexa attorneys of Ennis & Ennis today for a free confidential case evaluation. Our on staff nurse and lawyers are standing by to answer any questions you may have regarding Zyprexa side effects, a possible Zyprexa class action lawsuit, or any other type of Zyprexa litigation.