Olanzapine Drug

FDA OKs Schizophrenia Drug: Doctors say the drug could help patients who don't respond to existing medicines. Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly & Co.'s olanzapine, to be sold under the brand name Zyprexa, has not yet been adequately compared to existing medicines, so the Food and Drug Administration could not let the company advertise the drug as superior.

Eli Lilly & Co. said Thursday that it would settle about 18,000 additional lawsuits alleging the drug maker did not adequately warn patients that its antipsychotic medication Zyprexa heightens the risk of diabetes. Lilly did not disclose the amount of the settlement but said in a statement that it would take a fourth-quarter settlement charge that's not expected to exceed $500 million.

An older, inexpensive drug is as effective at treating the symptoms of schizophrenia as a newer, more popular drug that costs about 100 times more, according to a new report. The study, published in today's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Assn., also found no difference in quality of life between those given the newer drug, olanzapine, and those who received the older medication, haloperidol, plus another drug to control side effects.

A study comparing schizophrenia drugs has found that an older medication, perphenazine, is as effective at managing the devastating brain disorder as most of the newer, more expensive drugs. The study also found that one newer drug, olanzapine, was modestly more effective than the four other medications in the trial but also carried the greatest risk for the serious side effects of obesity and abnormal blood levels of sugar and fat.

Eli Lilly & Co. said Thursday that it would settle about 18,000 additional lawsuits alleging the drug maker did not adequately warn patients that its antipsychotic medication Zyprexa heightens the risk of diabetes. Lilly did not disclose the amount of the settlement but said in a statement that it would take a fourth-quarter settlement charge that's not expected to exceed $500 million.

A study comparing schizophrenia drugs has found that an older medication, perphenazine, is as effective at managing the devastating brain disorder as most of the newer, more expensive drugs. The study also found that one newer drug, olanzapine, was modestly more effective than the four other medications in the trial but also carried the greatest risk for the serious side effects of obesity and abnormal blood levels of sugar and fat.

An older, inexpensive drug is as effective at treating the symptoms of schizophrenia as a newer, more popular drug that costs about 100 times more, according to a new report. The study, published in today's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Assn., also found no difference in quality of life between those given the newer drug, olanzapine, and those who received the older medication, haloperidol, plus another drug to control side effects.

FDA OKs Schizophrenia Drug: Doctors say the drug could help patients who don't respond to existing medicines. Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly & Co.'s olanzapine, to be sold under the brand name Zyprexa, has not yet been adequately compared to existing medicines, so the Food and Drug Administration could not let the company advertise the drug as superior.