INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Eli Lilly & Co. said Friday Cymbalta reduced pain over 41 weeks for patients with chronic lower back pain, as the drugmaker again tries to gain Food and Drug Administration approval for the new use. In an extension study involving 181 patients, the company said an evaluation of 58 patients showed there was a 30 percent reduction in pain over 41 weeks. Eli Lilly has been trying to gain approval for the new indication for over a year, but withdrew its FDA application in November after agency evaluators questioned the drug’s effectiveness in treating chronic pain. Cymbalta is already approved as a treatment for depression, anxiety, fibromyalgia and diabetic nerve pain. In June, Eli Lilly resubmitted its application for Cymbalta as a chronic lower back pain treatment.
