Zyprexa Marketed to Seniors Who Didn’t Need It
Eli Lilly has been a BAAAAAAD company
Eli Lilly, maker of the antipsychotic drug Zyprexa, has agreed to pay $1.42 billion in a settlement over how they marketed Zyprexa in September 1999 to March 2001. Eli Lilly sent out significant advertising materials and promotions to doctors using a fictious senior pateint named Martha. Her problem? Not being able to sleep well and having some trouble remembering things.
However, Zyprexa is not approved for use in treating dementia or Alzheimer’s. Also, Zyprexa in the elderly is reported to increase symtpoms of seniors with dementia getting a stroke.
Whoops.
If You’re Not A Senoir, Don’t Worry
If you aren’t over 60 and have been prescribed Zyprexa for anxiety or depression, then you really don’t need to worry if you are taking the drug unnecesarily. What Eli Lilly did here was promote an off-label use for their drug.
Asking your therapist or doctor “What is this drug? What is it for?” is always a good idea.
Off Label Uses of Drugs
Many doctors do prescribe drugs for off-label uses. I’m on one, verapamil, which is approved for lowering high blood pressure but not approved for what I take it for — migraine prevention. In one sense, it is up to the doctor to make the decisions in prescribing medications for their patients.
However, the marketing for drugs to doctors has been amazingly intense, although this has died down in the last couple of years, but certainly could swing a doctor’s decision to choose which brand-name medicines to prescribe.
It is possible that Zyprexa (or any other antipsychotic) will no longer be prescribed to anyone over 65, but I haven’t been able to find anything to back up that rumor.
Keep in mind that a lot of people with mental illnesses have been helped with Zyprexa. If you have any concerns about Zyprexa or any medication you are taking, please contact your doctor or therapist.
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