Okay, maybe I shouldn't laugh, but...

[StPaulieGirl]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2004/03/30/financial1821EST0327.DTL

Lilly wins approval for injectable form of top-selling Zyprexa

MARK JEWELL, AP Business Writer
  Tuesday, March 30, 2004
 

(03-30) 15:21 PST INDIANAPOLIS (AP) --

Eli Lilly and Co. has won federal approval to sell an injectable version of its top-selling anti-psychotic Zyprexa, giving doctors a new option to quickly calm agitated patients.

The Food and Drug Administration's approval of the new shot form of the eight-year-old drug is expected to supplement Zyprexa's tablet form, used for long-term treatment of schizophrenia and the manic stage of bipolar disorder. The faster-acting injectable version is designed for single or occasional uses in patients during episodes when they become agitated and in some cases violent.

Zyprexa recorded $4.3 billion in sales last year, accounting for about a third of Indianapolis-based Lilly's sales. But it is undergoing a patent challenge from generic drug makers and faces increasing competition from newer anti-psychotics including Bristol-Myers Squibb's Abilify and Pfizer's Geodon.

Robert Hazlett, an industry analyst with SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, said he expects injectable Zyprexa to prove more effective and therefore become more widely used than the shot form of Geodon, the only other drug in its class available in injectable form.

The drugs are atypical anti-psychotics, a class that a dozen years ago began replacing old-line treatments that tend to have more severe side effects, including involuntary facial and body movements.

Geodon's injectable form was approved in June 2002. While the injectable form of Geodon is approved for treatment of agitated schizophrenic patients, Zyprexa's intramuscular form is approved for that use and for agitated patients with bipolar mania, Lilly spokeswoman Marni Lemons said.

Zyprexa remains the top seller in its class, and four years ago won FDA approval to treat bipolar mania. The drug has been prescribed to 12.5 million people since its 1996 introduction to treat schizophrenia.

Hazlett forecast the injectable form's approval could boost Zyprexa's annual sales by $100 million to $150 million.

Lilly shares closed up 20 cents on Tuesday at $65.80 on the New York Stock Exchange.
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Can you imagine if this stuff came in a can like Mace?  Bwahahahaa!  How about a dart gun? "Now, now, calm down (insert the name of your favorite psycho here), this won't hurt a bit".  

Lilly's stock is going to go through the roof with this!




 

[lucky]

It scares me.  

They put my son on it and he HAD the facial problems -- his tongue made "wormy" movements the Mayo Clinic told me and he had severe muscle stiffness in his left leg and back.  Also attributable to the Zyprexa the doctors told me.  BS that Zyprexa doesn't have the side effects the older medications do.

Needless to say, he is off it now, but he was put on a different medication to reduce the side effects quickly -- hopefully we'll be able to take him off that soon as well.

[StPaulieGirl]

Oh no, I'm sorry.  My son's friend is now on God knows what, but the last round of meds was Risperdal, Ambien, and something that started with a "B". He walks around like a zombie. :-(  I hope they haven't put him on this stuff.  This is for grown ups who need to be contained.

I knew I shouldn't have laughed when I read it, but it reminded me of Cindy Ross and my twisted neighbor.  

[lucky]

I didn't feel your original post was offensive, SPG.  I did understand what you meant.

I just wanted to point out that what they are saying about the side effects may not be true.  DS may have been an atypical case, but maybe not.