We’ve discussed Avandia before in a blog post entitled “Drugs Causing Problems They’re Supposed to Treat.” the corruption in research reporting here, and further on the corruption and the “triumph of new age medicine” here.
GlaxoSmithKline to pay a record penalty of $3 billion
By David Sell
In the largest financial penalty of its kind in the United States, drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline agreed to plead guilty to criminal charges and pay federal and state governments $3 billion to settle allegations related to inappropriate marketing of drugs, withholding of safety information, and failure to report accurate prices…
The Glaxo allegations involved the marketing or safety notification of several drugs, including antidepressants Paxil and Wellbutrin, and the diabetes drug Avandia, with the investigation covering a period from 1999 through 2010…
Glaxo pleaded guilty to three misdemeanors, two for promoting Paxil and Wellbutrin for uses other than those approved as safe by the FDA, and a third for failing to report clinical experiences and data related to Avandia…
Paxil, for example, is an approved antidepressant for adults. But the government alleged that from April 1998 to August 2003, GSK illegally promoted Paxil for treating depression in patients under age 18, even though it was not approved for pediatric use.
