GlaxoSmithKline Reaches $45 Million Settlement With Louisiana

Drug manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline reached a $45 million settlement last month with the state of Louisiana over allegations that the company broke several laws while marketing its drugs.

According to the New Orleans Times-Picayune, Louisiana Attorney General Buddy Caldwell first filed a lawsuit against GSK in 2011, alleging that the company defrauded the state’s Medicaid program by illegally marketing, pricing and promoting the diabetes drug Avandia.

A second lawsuit was filed against GSK in February this year, claiming that the company also illegally promoted Paxil, Wellbutrin, Advair, Lamictal, Zofran, Imitrex, Lotronex, Flovent and Valtrex for off-label uses, according to the Times-Picayune. The $45 million settlement is the largest pharmaceutical recovery ever received by the state.

Caldwell called the settlement “an important victory for our consumers who have every right to know about the risks and negative side effects of prescription drugs.” GSK was facing similar lawsuits in Mississippi, South Carolina, Utah, New Mexico, West Virginia, Maryland and Kentucky, but the company agreed to pay a total of $229 million to be split among the states.

GSK has faced a litany of criticism over the past year because of its advertising and marketing practices. Last year, the company agreed to pay the U.S. Department of Justice $3 billion for the “unlawful promotion of certain prescription drugs, its failure to report certain safety data, and its civil liability for alleged false price reporting practices.”

During the case it was discovered that the company paid celebrity Dr. Drew Pinsky $275,000  to promote Wellbutrin, telling listeners to his radio shows that the drug helped with conditions like obesity, addictions and sexual dysfunction — none of which are approved uses by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Deceptive drug advertising can lead to serious health complications, as consumers take drugs for the wrong reason. It can also lead to drug overdoses and harmful drug interactions.

If you or a loved one has been injured because of a dangerous prescription drug, please contact our office immediately for a free consultation. We have experience fighting pharmaceutical companies. We are available by calling (888) 841-9623.

Zoll, Kranz & Borgess, LLC – Pharmaceutical Drug and Device Attorneys

ZKB’s ‘Did You Know?’: Wellbutrin (Bupropion) has been linked to epileptic seizures.