July 2, 2012

expert reaction to GSK admitting to corporate misconduct

GlaxoSmithKline Plc agreed to plead guilty to misdemeanour criminal charges in the US and pay $3 billion to settle.

An MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority) spokesperson, said:

“Promoting medicines for unapproved uses is prohibited. We have robust controls in place for the advertising and promotion of medicines and we won’t hesitate to investigate and take action on any potential breaches of medicines legislation.
We gave clear advice in 2003 that Seroxat (paroxetine) should not be used in children and we have already removed Avandia from use in UK in September 2010 as part of EU-wide action. Anyone using Seroxat or Zyban should not worry but continue to take their medicine. If you have any questions please speak to your healthcare professional.

“We will be following this issue up with GSK as a matter of priority.”

Stephen Whitehead, Chief Excutive, ABPI (The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry), said:

“The global pharmaceutical industry has fundamentally changed during recent years; where we have made mistakes in the past, we have tried to rectify them – this is not a patient safety concern.

“Our job has always been to develop medicines that will save and improve patients’ lives, and while we have always strived to be innovative, we are now more transparent, more open, and more engaged than we ever have been before. The industry has become an important part of the healthcare environment – we are not just a provider anymore. We recognise our responsibility, and we will continue to do all we can to put the patient first.”