ALJAZEERA: GlaxoSmithKline Plc, the British drugmaker, has agreed to plead guilty to misdemeanor criminal charges, and pay $3bn to settle what government officials described as the largest case of healthcare fraud in US history…
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 US Department of Justice.
The company went to extreme lengths to promote the drugs, including distributing a misleading medical journal article, providing doctors with expensive resort vacations, European hunting trips, high-paid speaking tours and even tickets to a Madonna concert… (more)
