This is Michael Brady Lynch, lead trial attorney for The Michael Brady Lynch Firm.
Drug maker GlaxoSmithKline agreed to an unprecedented settlement with the Justice Department which includes $1 billion in criminal fines and $2 billion in civil fines. 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. In a third instance, GSK failed to give the U.S. Food and Drug Administration safety data about its diabetes drug Avandia.
The sad commentary about this settlement remains the fact that GSK made many billions of dollars on Paxil, Wellbutrin, and Avandia that far exceeds the settlement amount. Moreover, the conduct that triggered the settlement occurred over the span of over a decade. Very little will be accomplished in terms of changing the behavior of big pharma if giants like GSK have the knowledge that their actions will only result in a punishment of having to turn over a small portion of their profits many years after the fact.
About the Firm: The Michael Brady Lynch Firm is a trial firm with a focus on pharmaceutical mass tort cases involving SSRI and Anti-Seizure Medication Birth Defects such as Lexapro, Zoloft, Effexor, Prozac, Celexa, Paxil, Depakote and Topamax, as well as Actos Bladder Cancer and Fosamax Femur Fractures, and medical device cases including DePuy Hip and Trans-Vaginal Mesh cases. Contact us today if you or someone you know has experienced side effects involving these products.