Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff says the state has agreed to a $24 million civil settlement with Eli Lilly & Co. over claims the drug maker engaged in off-label marketing of the anti-psychotic drug Zyprexa.
Shurtleff’s office said Wednesday that it conducted a nearly four-year investigation of the drugmaker from Indianapolis.
Shurtleff says Zyprexa is approved for treatment of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. But he says Lilly’s sales force illegally promoted Zyprexa for uses not approved by the Food and Drug Administration such as dementia, Alzheimer’s, agitation and depression.
Lilly spokeswoman Marni Lemons says Utah had not taken part in a $62 million settlement announced a year ago with more than 30 states.
© 2009 Associated Press. Displayed by permission. All rights reserved.
