LILLY DOING SPIN CONTROL AFTER NEWS OREGON SHOOTER TOOK PROZAC

Prozac maker Eli Lilly and Co. reiterated its stance that the
antidepressant does not increase violent tendencies, following a
Springfield, Ore., shooting involving a 15-year-old boy who reportedly had
been taking the drug.

Lilly insisted there was no connection between the boy's reputed use of
Prozac and his deadly rampage at Thurston High School Thursday morning.

Kipland Kinkel allegedly opened fire on a crowded cafeteria, killing two
classmates and critically wounding others before a fellow student tackled
him. Later, the bodies of Kinkel's parents were found at his home.

"There is abundant evidence about Prozac showing no link to any sort of
violent behavior," Lilly spokesman Jeff Newton said.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration concluded as much in a 1991 report on
antidepressants, suicide and violence, Newton said. "In fact, recent
studies have shown Prozac actually decreases violent thoughts," he said.

Prozac has been hailed as a wonder drug in the fight against depression,
but critics say it provokes violence in some patients. In scores of court
cases raising that issue, Lilly has successfully argued that when violence
occures, it is a symptom of the illness rather than the medication
prescribed to treat it.

This is the second round of unwanted publicity for Prozac in less than a
year. Lilly also found itself doing damage control after reports surfaced
that traces of Prozac were found in the body of the driver of the crash
that killed Princess Diana and her companion, Dodi Fayed.

Lilly also had been hurt by negative publicity related to the 1989 shooting
rampage in Louisville, Ky., by Joseph Wesbecker, who had used Prozac.
Wesbecker injured 12 people and killed nine others, including himself. The
victims' families sued Lilly, and a jury found Prozac wasn't responsible.

Later, the judge claimed the parties had reached a secret settlement.

Another judge who had inherited the case closed it early this year, saying
there were no more issues to resolve.

Checked-by: jwjohnson@netmagic.net (Joel W. Johnson)