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The Zyprexa Papers
On December 17, 2006, The New York Times began a series of front-page stories about documents obtained from Alaska lawyer Jim Gottstein, showing Eli Lilly had concealed that its top-selling drug caused diabetes and other life-shortening metabolic problems. The "Zyprexa Papers," as they came to be known, also showed Eli Lilly was illegally promoting the use of Zyprexa on children and the elderly, with particularly lethal effects. Although Mr. Gottstein believes he obtained the Zyprexa Papers legally, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York in Brooklyn decided he had conspired to steal the documents, and Eli Lilly threatened Mr. Gottstein with criminal contempt charges. In The Zyprexa Papers, Mr. Gottstein gives a riveting first-hand account of what really happened, including new details about how a small group of psychiatric survivors spread the Zyprexa Papers on the Internet untraceably. All of this within a gripping, plain-language explanation of complex legal maneuvering and his battles on behalf of Bill Bigley, the psychiatric patient whose ordeal made possible the exposure of the Zyprexa Papers.
- GenresNonfiction
234 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 31, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 20, 2020
Pharmaceutical industry giant Eli Lilly hid information that is blockbuster drug Zyprexa caused diabetes and massive weight gain, and illegally promoted off-label use of the drug to foster children, the elderly, and other vulnerable populations. Lawyer Jim Gottstein of Anchorage, Alaska, came into possession of a tranche of documents detailing these dirty deeds, and released them to the New York Times and other outlets. Not surprisingly, Eli Lilly came after Gottstein with everything they had. (Interestingly, they didn't go after the New York Times, an organization that had far more legal firepower available to them than one lone activist legal practitioner in the boondocks.)
Now, if this had been in the movies, Gottstein's attorney would have delivered an impassioned speech, the stern-but-fair-minded judge would have issued a stinging rebuke to the corporate malefactors, and common sense and common decency would have carried the day. But this was real life, and that isn't what happened. Gottstein lost, and paid a heavy personal price.
The issues raised in this book have implications that go far beyond one drug or one whistleblower. The documents released by Gottstein had been placed under a secrecy order as part of a settlement for people (or in some cases, their surviving loved ones) who had been harmed by the drug. Gottstein had obtained these documents through a subpoena on behalf of a client he was representing in an involuntary commitment case, and he believed the secrecy order (which he had never consented to) did not apply to him. These secrecy orders make it easier for tort lawyers to obtain compensation for their clients, but at the expense of other people suffering the same harms in the future.
All this underscores the urgent need for all of us to have access to ALL the data from industry drug trials. Nothing less will do.
Now, if this had been in the movies, Gottstein's attorney would have delivered an impassioned speech, the stern-but-fair-minded judge would have issued a stinging rebuke to the corporate malefactors, and common sense and common decency would have carried the day. But this was real life, and that isn't what happened. Gottstein lost, and paid a heavy personal price.
The issues raised in this book have implications that go far beyond one drug or one whistleblower. The documents released by Gottstein had been placed under a secrecy order as part of a settlement for people (or in some cases, their surviving loved ones) who had been harmed by the drug. Gottstein had obtained these documents through a subpoena on behalf of a client he was representing in an involuntary commitment case, and he believed the secrecy order (which he had never consented to) did not apply to him. These secrecy orders make it easier for tort lawyers to obtain compensation for their clients, but at the expense of other people suffering the same harms in the future.
All this underscores the urgent need for all of us to have access to ALL the data from industry drug trials. Nothing less will do.
October 17, 2020
Very informative, very helpful book
I have a family member whose been going through years of involuntary commitments and forced medication. He has never submitted to the mental health industry’s insistence that he has a mental disease.
For years, I sided with the medical community’s approach to his treatment. I have a deep sense of shame about this. I’ve been a coward in front of the “all mighty” establishment.
I’ve always been amazed at how little real “talk” therapy he’s received over the years.
They have the med administration process “dialed” in no problem, but the talk part, not so much. Maybe since the talk part relies so much on trust, it’s impossible to have that component mixed into a drug focused treatment plan. Why would patients feel comfortable sharing their deepest, personal experiences with practitioners complicit in harming them.
I came upon this book as I’ve begun to research the devastating effects the drugs administered to “help” patients are actually hurting “patients “
I just want to tell the author how much I appreciate him sharing his story. It has definitely “made the case” and given me more confidence to stand up to the “authorities” and advocate for a loved one.
I have a family member whose been going through years of involuntary commitments and forced medication. He has never submitted to the mental health industry’s insistence that he has a mental disease.
For years, I sided with the medical community’s approach to his treatment. I have a deep sense of shame about this. I’ve been a coward in front of the “all mighty” establishment.
I’ve always been amazed at how little real “talk” therapy he’s received over the years.
They have the med administration process “dialed” in no problem, but the talk part, not so much. Maybe since the talk part relies so much on trust, it’s impossible to have that component mixed into a drug focused treatment plan. Why would patients feel comfortable sharing their deepest, personal experiences with practitioners complicit in harming them.
I came upon this book as I’ve begun to research the devastating effects the drugs administered to “help” patients are actually hurting “patients “
I just want to tell the author how much I appreciate him sharing his story. It has definitely “made the case” and given me more confidence to stand up to the “authorities” and advocate for a loved one.
April 19, 2020
Well told
After reading Gottstein’s book, I’m moved on many levels. First as an author myself, second as a reader, and third as someone intimately aware of the hazards and dangers from and for people so suffering within their families and community. Gottstein is sure to open everyone’s eyes to the legal challenges of his professional advocacy work.
After reading Gottstein’s book, I’m moved on many levels. First as an author myself, second as a reader, and third as someone intimately aware of the hazards and dangers from and for people so suffering within their families and community. Gottstein is sure to open everyone’s eyes to the legal challenges of his professional advocacy work.
September 29, 2025
Wonderful book. Most people I know get stressed out fighting unjust parking tickets. Even though the stakes are small, people know you can’t fight city hall. In this book, Jim Gottstein, a longtime critic of pharmaceutical companies’ influence on the American health and justice systems, doesn’t just take on City Hall. He gives his first-hand account of exposing a multibillion dollar pharma giant, Eli Lilly, for lying about the dangers posed by its lucrative antipsychotic drug Zyprexa. Zyprexa isn’t a common name to most people outside mental health, but it was and still is used by almost every state government, foster child system, and elder care facility because Lilly aggressively marketed it as safe behavior control. It’s insightful and upsetting to read how Gottstein and colleagues managed to reveal Lilly’s own papers on the drug’s overblown efficacy and buried harms while staying courageous, kind, and sane under highly stressful circumstances.
March 16, 2020
A riveting book about one man’s legal fight to not be forcibly drugged and committed to a psychiatric institution, his attorneys work to help him, and the same attorney’s courageous decision to risk everything by standing up to big pharma in order to save lives from a hugely profitable and harmful drug.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews