In July, the British pharmaceutical behemoth GlaxoSmithKline reached a $3 billion settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice over the company’s illegal marketing of several drugs in the United States. One of these, the antidepressant Paxil, was pushed by GSK salespersons for treating children, even though it was not approved for children. Studies show that Paxil is ineffective for younger patients and some believe it makes them suicidal.
Three billion dollars is only a fraction of what GSK makes on antidepressants in a single year, so the fine isn’t going to affect it much.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.