Zyprexa Confidential Documents Unsealed

Last week a federal judge in Brooklyn decided to unseal confidential documents produced by Eli Lilly about it’s anti-psychotic drug Zyprexa.  The judge, Jack Weinstein,  cited as reasons the health of thousands of people and fundamental issues about how drugs are approved for use.

The documents were produced by Lilly after patients sued because the drug had caused diabetes and extreme overweight.  Shortly after the suit was filed the documents were placed under a protective court order.

“Lilly’s legitimate interest in confidentiality does not outweigh the public interest in disclosure at this stage,” Judge Weinstein wrote.

The issue of confidential information arose in 2006, when New York Times reporter, Alex Berenson, wrote front page articles based on the contents of some of those papers.  He wrote that Lilly knew that Zyprexa had links to obesity and high blood sugar but kept that information from doctors.

Eli Lilly denied that they withheld such information and contended that the information that Berenson used was very carefully selected to give a one-sided view.