FDA Warns of Link Between Zyprexa and Deadly Skin Condition DRESS

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Food and Drug Administration has warned doctors and patients that the antipsychotic drug olanzapine, marketed as Zyprexa, Zyprexa Zydis, Zyprexa Relprevv and Symbyax, can cause a rare but serious skin condition known as Drug Reaction with Eosinophilia and Systemic Symptoms (DRESS).

According to the May 10 Drug Safety Communication, a search of the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System database identified 23 cases of DRESS reported with olanzapine worldwide since 1996, when the first olanzapine-containing drug, Eli Lilly & Co.’s Zyprexa, was approved.

DRESS, a potentially fatal drug reaction with a mortality rate of up to …