18 Feb 2008 04:33:49 | Michael@Monheit.com - Michael Monheit, Esquire
yprexa litigation has been targeted at a number of Zyprexa
side-effect problems: Some patients have reported the Zyprexa
side-effect of gaining up to 65 pounds after taking Zyprexa.
After the weight gain some developed the Zyprexa side-effect of
diabetes or glucose abnormalities. Patients who already had the
Zyprexa side-effect of theit diabetes growing worse while taking
Zyprexa. Worse yet -- patients died from developing diabetes.
These patients were never treated for diabetes and didn’t know
they had diabetes. Patients under 54 years old, face the highest
risk of developing the Zyprexa side-effect of diabetes or having
heart attacks and comas when taking Zyprexa.
Have you, a family member, or dear friend been diagnosed with
diabetes, diabetic ketoacidosis, hyperglycemia, pancreatitis, or
diabetic-induced heart attack or coma following the use of
Zyprexa? You may want to consider Zyprexa litigation and may
want to consult with a lawyer familiar with Zyprexa litigation.
If so, please complete the FREE no obligation consultation today.
Researchers have linked Zyprexa to the side-effect of onset of
diabetes, hyperglycemia, and neuroleptic malignant syndrome
thereby creating enough concern and patient outcry to lead
Japan, Europe, and most recently the United States to include
warnings about the chronic side-effects and the sometimes-fatal
Zyprexa side-effect. (Japan published safety warnings two years
before the U.S.) Consumer groups believe that the FDA had done
too little too late to warn doctors and patients about the risks
of hyperglycemia, diabetes, ketoacidosis, heart attack, and coma
from taking Zyprexa.
In November 2001, the Journal of the American Medical
Association, the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research,
and a Duke University Medical Center physician first possibly
linked between the Zyprexa side-effect of hyperglycemia in
adolescents with the drug. FDA staff members published a report
in the December 2001 American Journal of Medicine linking
Zyprexa to diabetes. Both Zyprexa reports used information from
the FDA's adverse drug reaction database.
Most recently, the FDA has identified at least 384 reports of
diabetes linked to Zyprexa, with the majority of cases appearing
within six months of starting Zyprexa treatment. This has been a
major focus in the Zyprexa litigation.
Consumer advocates claim that the Zyprexa side-effect warnings
referencing diabetes, heart attack, coma, and hyperglycemia are
buried deep within the adverse reactions section of the drug’s
labeling. Patients are less likely to notice the warning when
it’s buried in the smallest of fine print than if it were more
prominently displayed. The failure to give adequate warnings is
one of the core allegations in the Zyprexa litigation.
Researchers have also found preliminary evidence that linked the
Zyprexa side-effect and pancreatitis, a dangerous inflammation
of the pancreas. Studies looked at patients using four
antipsychotic drugs and examined all the pancreatitis cases
reported to the FDA or written up in medical journals between
January 1981 and February 2002. Researchers found more instances
of pancreatitis in Clozaril, Zyprexa, and Risperdal patients.
Of the 192 Zyprexa side-effect cases, people using Zyprexa alone
had 62 instances within the four antipsychotic drugs. The
pancreatitis occurrences resulted in 22 deaths. A definitive
link between Zyprexa side-effect and pancreatitis has not yet
been established though the findings have raised concern.
Adding to the complexity surrounding the potential Zyprexa
side-effect of the drug is the strong connection between
diabetes and schizophrenia, noted by scientists since the 1920s.
Sufferers of the debilitating brain disorder develop diabetes at
a rate up to four times higher than the general population,
whether they use antipsychotic drugs or not. People with
schizophrenia often lead a sedentary lifestyle, lack good
medical care, have poor diets, and high rates of obesity -- all
which are risk factors for diabetes.
Eli Lilly has argued that Zyprexa's safety is supported by two
Eli Lilly sponsored studies. According to the manufacturer, two
studies demonstrate that Zyprexa has no diabetes-inducing
effects. According to doctors at the diabetes care center at the
University of North Carolina, too few patients were studied to
detect a less common Zyprexa side effect.
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