Doctor who leaked confidential information about drug Zyprexa regrets his actions

A doctor who leaked confidential information about Eli Lilly's top-selling drug Zyprexa will pay the drug company $100,000 (73,014 EUR) to make amends.

Photo: Doctor who leaked confidential information about drug Zyprexa regrets his actions

A declaration filed in federal court and signed by Dr. David Egilman states he knew the information gave an incomplete view of the drug and the company. Egilman had access to the information while working as a consultant.

"I understood from reviewing materials produced in the litigation that there was another side to the Zyprexa story," Egilman wrote in documents filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn. "I had also seen information regarding the beneficial impact Zyprexa has on patients' lives."

A Times reporter wrote a number of articles starting late last year saying the drug's manufacturer, Indianapolis-based drug maker Eli Lilly and Co., downplayed Zyprexa's risks and marketed it for unapproved uses. Lilly has denied the charges, but has settled roughly 28,500 product liability claims involving Zyprexa over the past two years.

In June 2005, the company settled 8,000 claims for $690 million. This past January, it settled more than 18,000 for roughly $500 million (365 million EUR).

Lilly plans to donate Egilman's payment to a charity.