Can Eli Lilly be Held Criminally Liable for Zyprexa?

Mr Chabasinski, appeared by teleconference in US District Court for the Eastern District of New York, on January 3, 2007, before Judge Jack Weinstein, on behalf of MindFreedom, a non-profit human rights organization, in response to a motion by Lilly basically filed to keep the incriminating information hidden, to defend the public's right to know the contents of the secret Lilly documents concerning Zyprexa.

Mr Chabasinski told the judge that the documents are evidence of Lilly executives' "criminal behavior" and "willingness to kill people for profit."

The court granted MindFreedom's request for more time to respond to Lilly's motion, and another hearing is set for January 16, 2007. Meanwhile Judge Weinstein said that he was taking "no position" about those people who were not named but who already have copies of the Lilly files on Zyprexa.

Prior to the hearing, in a letter to the judge, Mr Chabasinski pointed out that while the underlying case in which the documents were under seal is civil, the documents reveal criminal behavior on the part of Lilly's executives. "They have chosen a course of action," he told the judge, "lying about and hiding the real effects of Zyprexa, that they knew would lead to the injury and death of literally thousands of people."

"If this isn't criminal," he stated, "I don't know what is."

The company documents also show that Lilly engaged in a massive illegal off-label marking campaign to get primary care physicians to prescribe Zyprexa for uses never approved by the FDA to increase profits.

The whole saga began when Dr David Egilman, MD, MPH, revealed the documents to Alaskan attorney, Jim Gottstein. Dr Egilman reviewed the documents and learned of Lilly's illegal conduct a few years ago when he served as an expert in a lawsuit. However, the case was settled out of court, and Dr Egilman was effectively muzzled when the judge granted Lilly's request to keep the documents secret with a court order.

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