Georgia Settles with Eli Lilly and Co. for $6 million
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Jessica SmagaczApril 29, 2009 7:44 PMAccording to AJC, while other states are seeking more with lawsuits over potential side effects of Zyprexa, Georgia made the decision to enter into a multimillion-dollar settlement with Eli Lilly and Co.
Georgia will get more than six million dollars from this settlement. Even with this amount, some are questioning if Georgia is making the right decision.
Many of the lawsuits filed against Eli Lilly and Co. contend the company has misled patients and physicians about Zyprexa’s potential side effects. These side effects include diabetes, hyperglycemia and excessive weight gain. The company has denied any wrongdoing in these civil cases.
Apparently, Thurbert Baker, State Attorney General, believes this provides a good deal for state taxpayers. “The attorney general’s office looked at the anticipated Medicaid losses and calculated the payout would be about double what Georgia’s claims would have been.,” said Russ Willard, a Baker spokesman.
FDA approved Zyprexa for the treatment of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. However, some of the lawsuits, attorneys are claiming the company targeted patients with dementia when FDA did not approve this.
Lilly did plead guilty to illegally marketing Zyprexa in January and agreed to pay $1.42 billion to resolve the lawsuits and to end the criminal investigation.