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Zyprexa

Brand- Name Zyprexa Generic Name Olanzapine Company Eli Lilly Disease/Medical Use Psychosis First Approval Date Sep-1996

Olanzapine is a typical antipsychotic, approved by the FDA for the treatment of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The olanzapine formulations are manufactured and marketed by the pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Company, whose patent for olanzapine proper expires in 2011. Sales of Zyprexa in 2008 were $2.2B in the US alone, and $4.7B in total.

Olanzapine is a medicine that is used to treat schizophrenia and acute hyper episodes associated with bipolar I disorder. Olanzapine belongs to a drug class known as atypical antipsychotics. Other members of this class include clozapine (Clozaril), risperidone (Risperdal), aripiprazole (Abilify) and ziprasidone (Geodon). The exact mechanism of action of olanzapine is not known. It may work by blocking receptors for several neurotransmitters (chemicals that nerves use to communicate with each other) in the brain. It binds to alpha-1, dopamine, histamine H-1, muscarinic, and serotonin type 2 (5-HT2) receptors. Olanzapine was approved by the FDA in 1996.