GlaxoSmithKline settles fraud charges for $3 billion

[Viva_La_Revolution]

Source: Reuters

(Reuters) - GlaxoSmithKline Plc has agreed to plead guilty to criminal charges and pay $3 billion to settle the largest case of healthcare fraud in U.S. history, according to court filings and prosecutors.

The settlement includes $1 billion in criminal fines and $2 billion in civil fines in connection with the sale of the drug company's Paxil, Wellbutrin and Avandia products.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/02/us-glaxo-settlement-idUSBRE8610S720120702

[bluedigger]

1. So Glaxo made what...$30 billion from their fraud?

They must feel just awful.

[Turbineguy]

2. Proving that it's cheaper to just buy the election

and bribe republicans.

[Baitball Blogger]

3. The article didn't provide details.

Are they claiming that Paxil and Avandia are placebos? Or that they didn't list all the sideeffects?

[xtraxritical]

5. I think you should do your own homework, Google it.

[Baitball Blogger]

8. I most certainly will, and then provide a new thread that will be more thorough.

[hedgehog]

12. They were pushing Wellbutrin and Paxil for off-labels uses, and hiding data on Avandia.

"GSK targeted the antidepressant Paxil to patients under age 18 when it was approved for adults only, and it pushed the drug Wellbutrin for uses it was not approved for, including weight loss and treatment of sexual dysfunction, according to an investigation led by the U.S. Justice Department.

The company went to extreme lengths to promote the drugs, such as distributing a misleading medical journal article and providing doctors with meals and spa treatments that amounted to illegal kickbacks, prosecutors said.

In a third instance, GSK failed to give the U.S. Food and Drug Administration safety data about its diabetes drug Avandia, in violation of U.S. law, prosecutors said."

http://bottomline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/07/02/12525279-glaxosmithkline-settles-fraud-case-for-3-billion?lite

[Baitball Blogger]

13. Thank you! I appreciate it.

Can't tell you how many pharma sales people who were friends were bitter about how their livelihood was being impacted by grrrrr-regulation. That nasty thing that keeps us safe from other people's greed.

[arikara]

4. "When necessary, we have removed employees who have engaged in misconduct."

Probably means they eliminated any whistleblowers. Bastards. Anytime they do something so heinous that requires a 3 billion dollar fine they should also have their charter revoked and the CEO's and board throw in jail.

[solarman350]

6. Did ANYONE GO TO JAIL?

No? Then, how can corporations be people if this was a criminal infraction? Why do corporations get to skate on this and STILL have the rights of "personhood?"

[Marthe48]

11. Awesome logic!

Love the way you think!

[proverbialwisdom]

7. Not my issue, but...

http://www.counterpunch.org/2012/06/29/is-your-foster-child-on-chemical-restraints/

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2012/07/02/business/ap-us-justice-glaxosmithkline.html?_r=2&hp

[lonestarnot]

9. K & R!

[davidpdx]

10. The company is a load of crap

I'm on at least one of their products and have been on at least one other.

[hunter]

14. Cost of doing business...

A real penalty would be releasing GlaxoSmithKline's patents to the public domain, throwing their board members in jail, and excluding the corporation from doing any further business in the USA.

Individual persons have suffered much worse penalties for lesser crimes.

The courts could confiscate GlaxoSmithKline's facilities, fire unethical management and sales staff, and under government contract turn the production facilities over to those employees who actually produce effective medicines

Individual persons competing directly with the big pharmaceutical companies, let's say people who grow marijuana for little old ladies on chemotherapy, are aggressively pursued by the DEA who will confiscate both production facilities and product. But our government leaves these criminal pharmaceutical giants alone, maybe giving them a slight scolding whenever they kill and maim people or engage in unethical and illegal business practices.

A small restaurant caught selling beer to a twenty year old will have it's liquor license revoked, often leading to the demise of the business. The crimes committed by GlaxoSmithKline are worse. But three billion dollars in fines, high priced lobbying, and political campaign contributions has bought this mega-corporation a lot of "protection."

[stumblnrose]

15. Glaxo's best practices are death, profit, fallout

I am a victim of another drug made by GSK that has quietly become one of the latest killers and maimers of its victims. The drug is Lamictal and it can cause a deadly rash called Stevens Johnson Syndrome. Their black box warning fails to mention several important tell-tale symptoms that would help both doctors and imbibers know that the SJS illness is kicking in. First off, the government requires no reporting of this illness so we have to wonder how Glaxo cites statistics showing this to be a very rare disease. It is now the number one cause of the potentially lethal SJS rash according to the Stevens Johnson Syndrome Foundation.

I suffered severe corneal abrasions, scarring of the mucosal membranes and am now disabled. Glaxo is now spending millions to keep the warning label unchanged and continue its profit frenzy before the day of reckoning comes when they will have to pay the collateral damage to the families of the dead and the disabled survivors. One sentence added to the black box warning would save lives and mitigate damage but Glaxo would rather spend money in court fighting any life saving changes. They claim any doctor should recognize the illness but most doctors have no idea how to identify the disease and people spend upwards of months prior to diagnosis continuing to take the toxic medicine. I spent three days seeing numerous doctors before I was diagnosed. Glaxo only wants profit and sets aside a slush fund to pay off the collateral damage when the drug is finally exposed for its lethal content.