Associated Press - November 11, 2009 12:45 PM ET
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff says the state has reached 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 4-year investigation that showed Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly concealed that Zyprexa has an association with significant weight gain and obesity.
Shurtleff says Zyprexa is approved for the treatment of schizophrenia and certain types of bipolar disorder. But he says the company's sales force illegally promoted Zyprexa for uses not approved by the Food and Drug Administration such as dementia, Alzheimer's, agitation and depression.
Messages were left Wednesday with Eli Lilly seeking comment.
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