LegalNewsLine.com
by Rob Luke
SPRINGFIELD — Illinois attorney general Lisa Madigan has ratcheted up the pressure on pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly over a controversial drug-marketing lawsuit that has drawn fire from reform advocates.
Lawyers at the consumer protection division of the Illinois attorney general’s office last week demanded that company officials hand over documents concerning the marketing of Zyprexa, Lilly’s blockbuster mental health drug. Their counterparts in the Vermont AG’s office have joined the action.
A five-state legal action against Eli Lilly alleges the company tried to cover up negative side-effects of Zyprexa and that it tried to market the drug for disorders other than its scheduled treatment for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Such “off-label” prescription is a violation of federal law…
