Earlier this year, multiple news outlets broke the headlining news that pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline pled guilty to health fraud–and paid a whopping $3 billion dollars to the United States government for it. The payment is the largest fraud settlement in U.S. history, and the largest fine ever paid by a drug company. If anyone has ever wondered if there were deeper motives for a pharmaceutical company and their affliated medical doctors, the exerpted articles below will serve as a reminder that the next time your doctor prescribes a pill, to think twice about whether or not the pharmaceutical companies have an over-reaching hand into your own personal health and well-being.
BusinessInsider‘s website highlights 14 documents filed in court by the Department of Justice showing just how the pharmaceutical giant committed criminal acts spanning over a decade. Below is the excerpt from their website:
GlaxoSmithKline paid $3 billion to end an investigation by the Department of Justice into its illegal marketing of the antidepressants Paxil and Wellbutrin, and the diabetes drug Avandia. The payment—the largest ever in drug marketing—is accompanied by criminal convictions for the company.
The deal also reveals the DOJ’s evidence against the company, collected over more than a decade, dating back to the late 1990s.
Among that evidence:
- GSK promoted Paxil for children when in fact it can cause suicidal behavior in kids.
- GSK promoted Wellbutrin as a sex drug and TV’s Dr. Drew Pinsky was on the company’s payroll.
- And GSK gave lavish vacations and “speaking fees” to doctors who agreed to promote the drugs to their colleagues.
In 2001, GSK considered withholding a study that showed Paxil caused suicidality and violent feelings in teenagers because it coincided with the Columbine shooting tragedy, according to the complaint. One of the shooters was on Luvox, a different antidepressant. The FDA has always been clear about Paxil: It has never been approved for children and was specifically rejected for children in 2003 and 2004. Yet GSK went right ahead and marketed it for kids anyway, the DOJ’s complaint states. By as late as 2005, GSK had a list of 5,800 child psychiatrists prescribing Paxil to kids, of which 1,424 were child psychiatry specialists, the DOJ says. To promote Paxil, GSK wined and dined doctors in Hawaii and Puerto Rico, treating them to golf, deep sea fishing, rafting and balloon rides, the DOJ alleges. Doctors were paid $12,000 for giving six hours of presentations to other doctors promoting the drug. Sponsored talks for Wellbutrin included such educational aspects as boat trips and sightseeing jaunts, the DOJ claims. GSK’s plan worked, according to the DOJ, and sales grew “far in excess of the market rate of growth for antidepressants.”
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Other articles also emphasize GSK’s disregard of research studies in the name of profit: When GSK began targeting children, Paxil became a top 10 selling drug with annual sales in excess of $1.8 billion in 2001 and 2002 alone. This is particularly grievous as, according to the Justice Department’s complaint, several clinical studies on Paxil involving children and adolescents, performed in the mid- to late-90′s, had ALL FAILED to demonstrate efficacy on this age group.
In 2009, Pfizer paid $2.3 billion to settle similar charges, and as recently as May, Abbott Laboratories settled charges over wrongful marketing of the anti-seizure drug Depakote to the tune of $1.6 billion. The company had illegally promoted the drug to health care providers for off-label use in seniors with dementia.
And, according to a July 6 report in the Huffington Post, a federal investigation into wrongful marketing by Johnson & Johnson of its antipsychotic drug Risperdal is also wrapping up and may result in a fine of anywhere between $1.6 to 2 billion.
If you are currently taking prescription medication, or know someone that does, and would like to get a second opinion if alternative, drug-free treatments such as chiropractic may be beneficial for you, you can schedule a complimentary consultation at Georgia Clinic of Chiropractic. Many of our patients have said they wish they had considered other alternatives a lot sooner–if not for the sake of their health but for their bank account. Our complimentary consultations are an integral part of our patient experience here, and our goal is to make sure that you, not some other third-party company, remains in control of your healthcare.
Georgia Clinic of Chiropractic is conveniently located off Furys Ferry Rd in Martinez, Georgia and provides quality chiropractic care to the Augusta, Martinez, and Evans communities. Visit our main website at www.georgia-clinic.com. To schedule an appointment, call (706) 814-5053 or use our online form to schedule online.
The Georgia Clinic of Chiropractic Blog is written by Dr. Mark Huntsman.
