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Summary of the Unethical Marketing of Zyprexa by Eli Lilly: \n\nEli Lilly is a global pharmaceutical company. In the year 2006, it was charged with unethical marketing of Zyprexa, the top-selling drug. It is approved only for the treatment of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. \nFirstly, Eli Lilly in a report downplayed the risks of obesity and increased blood sugar associated with Zyprexa. Although Eli Lilly was aware of these risks for at least a decade, they went ahead without emphasizing the significance of these risks, in fear of jeopardizing their sales. \nSecondly, Eli Lilly held a promotional campaign called Viva Zyprexa, encouraging off-label usage of this drug in patients who had neither schizophrenia nor bipolar disorder. This campaign was targeted at the elderly who had dementia. However, this drug was not approved to treat dementia. In fact, it could increase the risk of death in older patients who had dementia-related psychosis. \nAll these were done to boost the sale of Zyprexa and to bring in more revenue for Eli Lilly. Zyprexa could alone bring in $4billion worth of sales annually. \n\nEthical Question:\nTo what extent should pharmaceutical companies go to inform potential consumers on the side-effects of their drugs? \n\nEthical Problem: \nThe information that is disseminated through marketing campaigns have to be true and transparent. There should not be any hidden agenda behind the amount of information being released. In this case, to prevent sales from plummeting, Eli Lilly downplayed the side-effects of Zyprexa. It also encouraged off-label usage. \nIt is very important that pharmaceutical companies practice good ethics as this concerns the health of its consumers. While one drug may act as a remedy for a health-problem, it could possibly lead to other health problems due to the side-effects. All these have to be conveyed to the consumer who exchanges his money for the product. \nNot being transparent and honest with the information of the pr