It was like a football game where you not only shut out your opponent, but hold them to a handful of first downs and knock their quarterback out of the ball game. Others pointed out that Risperdal is usually less expensive than Zyprexa. Dr. Robert Conley, an assistant research professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, said some aspects of the study design might favor Lilly, but more detailed review is needed before he could say whether it is valid. In a presentation at a high-profile medical conference in Puerto Rico, Lilly said the study showed that Zyprexa provided more benefit to schizophrenic patients, as measured by a number of criteria. A greater proportion of schizophrenia patients made it through the full 28-week trial if they were treated with Lilly's Zyprexa, suggesting the new drug produced fewer unpleasant side effects.
Most antipsychotic drugs produce strong side effects, such as uncontrollable limb movements.
It said Zyprexa generated fewer incidences of certain side effects, and said the test on 339 subjects suggested that Zyprexa patients were somewhat less likely to have suffered a relapse. Among other things, it said, the dosage of Risperdal used in the study was substantially higher than the average dose used in standard clinical practice. It said the data on relapse rates are open to question as well. Eli Lilly and Co said Thursday its Zyprexa drug performed better than risperidone, the most widely prescribed antipsychotic, in the treatment of schizophrenia in a clinical study. In a double-blind study of 339 patients, on serveral key criteria that define a novel antipsychotic, patients receiving Zyprexa reported statistically significant differences compared with those receiving risperidone, Lilly said.