Lilly drugs heist one of biggest ever
Thieves make off with $75m of antidepressant and antipsychotic drugs
In what is said to be one of the biggest pharmaceutical robberies ever, thieves have stolen drugs worth $75m from an Eli Lilly warehouse in Connecticut in the US.
The company has stressed that no controlled drugs such as painkillers and narcotics were taken but confirmed that Alimta (pemetrexed disodium), Cymbalta (duloxetine hydrochloride), Effient (prasugrel), Gemzar (gemcitabine hydrochloride), Prozac (fluoxetine hydrochloride), Strattera (atomoxetine hydrochloride), Symbyax (olanzapine/fluoxetine hydrochloride) and Zyprexa (olanzapine) were among the products stolen.
Lilly is working with the US FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations and other law enforcement officials to recover the products. ‘Since early Sunday morning, Lilly has taken quick and appropriate actions to ensure the safety of our medicines,’ said Dr Fionnuala M. Walsh, Lilly's senior vice president of global quality.
‘The US pharmaceutical distribution system is tightly controlled and monitored, making it extremely difficult for stolen product to make it to patients through legitimate channels. However, we will continue to work closely with local and federal law enforcement authorities, the FDA, and our distribution partners to maintain the integrity of our drug supply chain.’
