Eli Lilly, a world leader in diabetic research, was aware of the side effects of Zyprexa which included severe weight gain, diabetes, and pancreatitis prior to marketing the drug in the United States. Nevertheless, Eli Lilly made the decision to market the drug in 1996 without proper warnings to patients or doctors of these severe side effects. In February of 2004, the American Diabetes Association, the American Psychiatric Association, and the North American Association for the Study of Obesity, and the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists issued a joint statement warning the public of the association between Zyprexa and serious weight gain, diabetes, and pancreatitis.
In addition, a federal investigation was commenced earlier this year to explore allegations that Eli-Lilly engaged in criminal activity by aggressively marketing Zyprexa for off-label uses including depression and sleep disorders.
On March 1, 2004, Eli-Lilly sent a safety alert to doctors warning of the association between Zyprexa, hyperglycemia, and diabetes. Eli-Lilly suggested that doctors prescribing Zyprexa should monitor their patients' glucose control closely and that patients should undergo fasting blood glucose testing at the beginning of treatment as well as periodically thereafter.
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