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Panel Narrowly Endorses Cymbalta for Pain
Eli Lilly could add $500 million to its take from blockbuster antidepressant Cymbalta if the FDA goes along with a lukewarm endorsement by a panel of outside advisors to allow use of the drug for chronic pain.
The panel of outside advisers, which usually heavily influences FDA decisions, voted 8-6 in favor of allowing the drug for pain relief. It would compete with anti-inflammatories and opioids in that space.
“I think it will be a very useful drug for a significant number of patients,” said panel chairman Jeffrey Kirsch.
It will also be useful for the giant pharmaceutical company, which could add 16 percent to its sales of Cymbalta if it’s used to treat pain.
But there was significant opposition to that use by members of the committee who thought there should be more study of the drug before broadening its use, and who were concerned about possible side effects including liver damage from Cymbalta.
Kent Bernhard Jr. is News Editor of Portfolio.com
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