Lilly Drug Shown to Raise Blood-Clot Risk

A trial of Eli Lilly & Co.’s osteoporosis drug Evista found that patients given the treatment had a reduced incidence of bone fractures and breast cancer but were more likely to suffer fatal strokes and blood clots.

The UC San Diego study of 10,000 women found that among every 1,000 patients taking the drug for 10 years, seven more would have fatal strokes than those on placebo, raising the risk by 49%. Twelve more would have dangerous blood clots known as venous thromboembolisms, raising the risk by 44%. The results appear this week in the New England Journal of Medicine.