compared with roughly $390 for Geodon, $425 for Risperdal, $475 for Seroquel, and $660 for Zyprexa. Over $10 billion is spent in the United States each year on such drugs, Insel said. Weight gain among patients on Zyprexa was significantly higher. Patients on the drug typically added two pounds (0.97 kg) a month. With two of the other drugs, patients gained up to half a pound (0.23 kg) and with the other two, they lost a small amount of weight every month. And while all five drugs raised blood sugar levels, the gains were more than twice as high for Zyprexa. Lilly said the weight gain and blood sugar issues were consistent with its own clinical findings but the company was delighted that the study found patients were far more likely to stay on its medication than on other drugs in the trial. Johnson & Johnson said the effectiveness of its Risperdal in the trial was compromised by overly low doses given to patients. Shares of Pfizer fell 1.2 percent to $25.58, while Lilly dropped 0.9 percent to $54.70, and Johnson & Johnson slipped 0.9 percent to $64.58, all on the New York Stock Exchange. AstraZeneca slipped 10 cents to $47.81, also on the NYSE, amid a moderate decline for the drug sector. --SP 2342 Local Time 2042 GMT
