Lilly settles 900 Zyprexa claims

Business, World | June 13, 2007
http://www.imedinews.ge/en/news_read/45372
 INDIANAPOLIS, June 12 (UPI) — Indianapolis-based drug giant Eli Lilly and Co. said Tuesday it settled 900 more product liability claims against its top-selling drug Zyprexa.

Four of the claims were scheduled to go to trial in July, The Indianapolis Star reported Tuesday. Thousands of patients sued Lilly, claiming the pharmaceutical firm hid risks of weight gain and diabetes associated with Zyprexa.

Under terms of the settlement, Lilly did not disclose the amount of the settlements, and did not admit any wrongdoing.

While we continue to believe we would have prevailed had we gone to trial, resolving these claims will help Lilly return its focus to addressing unmet medical needs for patients and physicians, Michael J. Harrington, Lilly’s deputy general counsel, said in a statement.

About 750 claims remain unsettled. The company also faces lawsuits from several states — among them Alaska, Mississippi, Louisiana, Utah and West Virginia — seeking to recoup Medicaid money spent caring for Zyprexa patients.