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FATALITY INQUIRY – JUNE 21, 2010 – DEATH AT THE RADWAY CARE CENTER – FIRST DAY OF INQUIRY

Home > Blog > FATALITY INQUIRY – JUNE 21, 2010 – DEATH AT THE RADWAY CARE CENTER – FIRST DAY OF INQUIRY
1)  A professional doctor, attending at the Radway Long Term Care Center prescribed 
a neuroleptic 

drug for a patient whom he did not first go to see or assess.  He never 

did go to see her.
He allegedly prescribed the drug  on the recommendation of a psychiatrist located in 
St. Paul, AB.  The psychiatrist also had never assessed or even seen the patient for  
whom she  recommended the drug.  The prescribed medication, Zyprexa, (Olanzapine) is 
contraindicated for elderly dementia patients & has a Health Canada black box warning 
that it is not approved for such patients.*  

Furthermore, both prescribing physician & psychiatrist, failed to counsel patient 

& caregivers to immediately report signs of potential CVAEs such as sudden 
weakness or numbness in the face, arms or legs, and speech or vision problems.

According to the 

The Compendium of Pharmaceuticals and Specialties: The Canadian 
Drug Reference 

for Health Professionals, (CPS), Zyprexa (Olanzapine) has no proven

benefit to elderly dementia patients.

2)  Another physician, who is based in Smoky Lake, signed a Death Certificate, cited 
the cause of death, yet never had assessed the patient or ever saw the patient prior 
to death. At no time did he view or identify the body. The same physician could 
not recall the nursing staff who had called him concerning the decedent.

3)  An R.N. reported that after a diagnosis of Norwalk virus, no chart entries were 
made in the patient’ file for an entire week.  Intake and out put was not recorded.

*Eli Lilly Canada Inc., following discussions with Health Canada, would like

to inform 

you of important new safety information 

pertaining to 

cerebrovascular adverse events, 

that have occurred 

in elderly patients with 

dementia-related psychosis treated with 

ZYPREXA (olanzapine) in clinical trials. 

ZYPREXA is not approved for use in elderly patients with dementia-related 

psychosis.

Signed by Loren D. Grossman, 

MDFRCPCFACP

Vice President, Research and Development, Eli Lilly Canada Inc. 2004

*