New drug safety communication on olanzapine from US FDA

The US Food and Drug Administration is warning that the antipsychotic medicine olanzapine can cause a rare but serious skin reaction that can progress to affect other parts of the body, the agency announced late Tuesday.

The drug was originated by Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY) and sold by the company as Zyprexa, but is now off patent and available as generic versions,

The FDA is adding a new warning to the drug labels for all olanzapine-containing products that describes this severe condition known as Drug Reaction with Eosinophilia and Systemic Symptoms (DRESS).