The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released its first quarterly report listing certain drugs that are being evaluated for potential side effects.

The drugs, 20 in total, have been identified based on a review of reports in FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System (AERS), which contains millions of reports of adverse events submitted to the FDA by drug manufacturers, health care professionals and patients

Eli Lilly and Co.'s Cymbalta depression treatment significantly reduced back pain in comparison with a placebo, new studies suggest. The drug is prescribed to treat depression, generalized anxiety disorder, diabetic nerve pain, and fibromyalgia.

The pharmaceutical company carried out a study on 236 adults with chronic low back pain who weren't depressed. They took Cymbalta or a placebo drug daily for 13 weeks. The study found that 31 per cent of patients receiving the treatment experienced a 50 percent reduction in pain, compared with 19 percent of individuals who were in the placebo group

The world's largest manufacturer of psychiatric medication, Eli Lilly and Company, has announced its second quarter results, reporting sales were up 20 percent, worldwide. Eli Lilly reported Q2 sales reached $4.63 billion, with volume up 11 percent, led by the antidepressant drug Cymbalta and the erectile dysfunction drug Cialis.

In January, Eli Lilly acquired Cialis' maker, ICOS Corp. for $2.3 billion. The second quarter return is the first full period incorporating Cialis profits into Eli Lilly's numbers. The take-over kicked marketing and administrative expenses up 23 percent to $1.52 billion

Eli Lilly and Co. warns about liver-related problems with its depression drug, Cymbalta.

A new label for the antidepressant, known generically as duloxetine, also includes reports of hepatitis, jaundice and other liver-related problems in patients using the drug, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says on its Web site