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Olanzapine: one lawsuit after another in the USA

More than 28,000 people received compensation from Lilly for dropping suits relating to olanzapine.

Olanzapine is indicated for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and it is used in numerous other situations (elderly people with dementia, for example). Information from French health authorities on this drug states that it can lead to weight gain, and carries a risk of high blood glucose levels or an exacerbation of diabetes.

In 2002, the United States Food and Drug Agency (FDA) carried out a study which showed a likely link between olanzapine and the onset of diabetes. The FDA then demanded that this adverse effect be mentioned in product labels. This modification prompted 28,000 patients to sue Lilly for causing olanzapine-related diabetes or obesity. The company chose to compensate the plaintiffs (up to 90,000 dollars each), so that they would drop their suits.

Lawyers handed over internal company documents produced during the court cases to the New York Times. These articles give credence to allegations that the company played down evidence relating to the frequency and severity of the risks of obesity and high blood glucose levels. Regulatory information on olanzapine in the USA now mentions that there is a higher risk of high blood glucose levels than with other comparable drugs. The company is being investigated by the FDA on suspicion of a cover-up.

Meanwhile, olanzapine is still one of the world’s blockbuster drugs and its sales have not suffered.

©Prescrire March 2008

Source: "Effets indésirables métaboliques de l’olanzapine : procès en cascade aux États-Unis" Rev Prescrire 2008 ; 28 (293) : 224-226.

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