GlaxoSmithKline, a British multinational pharmaceutical, has been busted in a scandal. On July 2, 2012, Glaxo pleaded guilty to and agreed to a $3 billion settlement. This could be the largest health-care fraud case in U.S. history.
GSK has been caught up in bribe, illegal promotion of drugs, and failure to report the safety data.
The drugs involved in the scandal were Paxil, Wellbutrin, Advair, Lamictal, and Zofran for off-label, non-covered uses. Those and the drugs Imitrex, Lotronex, Flovent, and Valtrex were involved in the kickback scheme.
In March and April of 1999, Dr. Drew Pinsky was paid $275,000 by Glaxo to talk about certain drugs.
The $3 billion fine would be an enormous fine for most of us, but this is small change for a company this big. Still, this may be a step in the right direction. Much more needs to be done.
