| GSK, fined $3 billion - The Olympic Committee must be so proud of them. Image [Source] |
The company that uses the promotional tagline of making it's consumers "do more, feel better, live longer" have agreed on a $ 3 billion settlement with the US government over the way they marketed their diabetes drug, Avandia.
Glaxo, as ethical as ever, were accused of paying its sales force teams hefty bonuses based on the number of prescriptions they generated, which ultimately may have led to doctors issuing prescriptions to patients for un-approved usage of nine of GlaxoSmithKline's drugs, including Paxil [Seroxat], Wellbutrin [Zyban]
The $3 billion fine, writes The Times, also brings to an end other investigations in the US into Glaxo’s marketing of the diabetes drug Avandia and the possible inappropriate use of the Medicaid Rebate Program.
Andrew Witty, Glaxo's CEO, is quoted in The Times article:
“This is a significant step toward resolving difficult, long-standing matters which do not reflect the company that we are today.
“In recent years, we have fundamentally changed our procedures for compliance, marketing and selling in the US to ensure that we operate with high standards of integrity and that we conduct our business openly and transparently.”
Meanwhile the UK Seroxat group action against GlaxoSmithKline which, despite rumours, is still on-going, sees Glaxo defend their antidepressant and the propensity it has to cause severe withdrawal problems in a number of patients. Glaxo, reflecting the way in which the company are today, are disputing that Seroxat has been problematic for the claimants in this case.
Regarding Avandia, it was withdrawn in Europe last year after it emerged that side effects included increased risk of heart attack. In the US it remains in place.
Now there's Openness and Transparency!
Fid
ORDER THE PAPERBACK 'THE EVIDENCE, HOWEVER, IS CLEAR...THE SEROXAT SCANDAL' By Bob Fiddaman US and CANADA HERE
OR UK FROM CHIPMUNKA PUBLISHING
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