[News] GlaxoSmithKline to Pay $750 Million for Sale of Bad Products

[Bernard]

GlaxoSmithKline, the British drug giant, has agreed to pay $750 million to settle criminal and civil complaints that the company for years knowingly sold contaminated baby ointment and an ineffective antidepressant — the latest in a growing number of whistle-blower lawsuits that drug makers have settled with multimillion-dollar fines.

Altogether, GlaxoSmithKline sold 20 drugs with questionable safety that were made at a huge plant in Puerto Rico that for years was rife with contamination.

Cheryl D. Eckard, the company’s quality manager, asserted in her whistle-blower suit that she had warned Glaxo of the problems but the company fired her instead of addressing them. Among the drugs affected were Paxil, an antidepressant; Bactroban, an ointment; Avandia, a troubled diabetes drug; Coreg, a heart drug; and Tagamet, an acid reflux drug. No patients were known to have been sickened, although such cases would be difficult to trace.

In a rising wave, recent lawsuits have asserted that drug makers misled patients and defrauded federal and state governments that, through Medicare and Medicaid, pay for much of health care.

Using claims from industry insiders, federal prosecutors are not only demanding record fines but are hinting at more severe actions.
...

More: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/27/bu...pagewanted=all

[Meetz1064]

What a mess they have got themselves into now. That's big pharma for ya, though.

[Cint]

Yep, another pharmaceutical company in a mess. And to think I took Avandia for a short time for my diabetes, brought on by another drug, and yes it did cause some bad side effects. Just like Eli Lilly, they are are in it for the big $$. Forget it if a person dies from their drug. They just turn the other cheek.

[Nakamova]

Boy am I surprised! A less-than-scrupulous drug company? Who woulda thunk it?

[Nakamova]

GlaxoSmithKline makes Lamictal. Doesn't exactly inspire confidence in My Daily Med.

[Cint]

Boy am I surprised! A less-than-scrupulous drug company? Who woulda thunk it?

I'm not at all surprised. Like I said in my other posting, I have diabetes from a drug made by Eli Lilly. I won a class action lawsuit because of it as did many others in the US and the drug was taken off the market overseas because people did die from the drug. It happens more than people realize.

[Junebug]

Boy am I surprised! A less-than-scrupulous drug company? Who woulda thunk it?

Lamictal is about the only thing that DID work for me, (in combo with Depakote ER) so that really does suprise me!

[Endless]

If a maintream phama company does something like this and thinks they can get away with it, I can only imagine what smaller companies that make generics do. yikes!

What I want to know is how come it took this long to catch them. Where's the FDA?

[Nakamova]

The FDA is in bed with Big Pharma...

[Cint]

What I want to know is how come it took this long to catch them. Where's the FDA?

Here is where I get my info:

http://www.pharmalot.com/2010/10/the...he-new-normal/

And another one:
http://www.pharmalot.com/2010/10/dav...cturing-fraud/

And the same info that Bernard posted:
http://www.pharmalot.com/2010/10/gla...cturing-fraud/

Plus, how many of our docs are being paid or awarded by these pharmaceuticals at speaking engagements, etc?

[Endless]

I looked up my doc in the data base. He gets some compensation from what it looks like teaching gigs (he's considered an expert in his field). But compared to his total compensation, and also compared to what other docs earn from this kind of thing, I don't think it is significant. Plus, he has prescribed either the generic version of my drugs, or brand-name from a company that is other than the one who paid the speaking fees. He hasn't received any clinical trial money in recent years.

Other docs, I have no idea. I'm sure some are influenced. If you want to look yours up, here's a link. Someone else posted this in another string, but here it is again:
http://projects.propublica.org/docdollars/

The database doesn't include compensation from administering clinical trials. I tried to find a database on that but couldn't.

Update: I did more searching, and I was wrong. My doc HAS participated in a bunch of clinical trials lately, most notably for Vimpat. That drug has never been suggested for me. Sheesh, he publishes a lot (on topics other than new drugs) . Found an extensive list during my search. No wonder the man is so busy.

[Elsie]

Huh, I currently have a tube of bactroban in my drug drawer. I use it from time to time for skin infections, etc. And I have taken a boatload of tagamet, though the generic form of the drug so maybe from another manufacture? I guess nothing's safe these days.

[sandi]

Amazing , Probably why they would put a plant in a place where they could get away with anything.
It's no different with the clinical trials either there shams as well-- they just pick and choose the ones that look good to support getting bad drugs ,they wasted time and $$$ developing and get them out to as many people to make the money back until there pulled from the market.
I was on Paxil till it stopped working for me , or maybe it didn't I just got a batch of bad pills !
Of course it's always too hard to prove.

[Ruth]

Hi, I watched 60 minutes last night. They had a clip on it. You can go below the video to the clips and press on it. I am not good on links, but here it is:

http://www.cbs.com/primetime/60_minu...ault&play=true

I got a message saying it was invalid. Go down below the video and press on: Bad Medicine: the Glaxo Case. I got the right link. You will get the clip.