State agrees to drug manufacturing settlement |
June 26, 2011 |
(Boise) – The State of Idaho will receive
$602,825 from a legal settlement with
GlaxoSmithKline, LLC (GSK) and SB Pharmco Puerto
Rico, Inc. (SB Pharmco), Attorney General
Lawrence Wasden said Thursday. Wasden joined
with the attorneys general of 37 other states in
the settlement. In a complaint filed with the settlement agreement June 23, Wasden alleged that GSK and SB Pharmco engaged in unfair and deceptive practices when they manufactured and distributed certain lots of Kytril, Bactroban, Paxil CR and Avandamet. Those lots were adulterated because of substandard manufacturing processes used to produce them at the companies’ plant in Cidra, Puerto Rico. GSK and SB Pharmco are no longer manufacturing drugs at their Cidra facility, which has been closed since 2009. “People depend on prescription drugs for their health, and, in many instances, for their very lives,” Attorney General Wasden said. “It is imperative that manufacturers maintain integrity, not only in their products, but also in their representations of their products.” Kytril is a drug used to prevent nausea and vomiting caused by cancer chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Bactroban is an antibiotic ointment used to treat skin infections. Paxil CR is the controlled-release formulation of the popular antidepressant drug, Paxil. Avandamet is used to treat Type II diabetes. Consumers should note that there is no current cause for concern regarding the drugs covered by this agreement, because all adulterated batches have been recalled for many years and/or the products’ expiration date is past. If consumers do have concerns, they should contact their health care provider. The settlement enjoins GSK and SB Pharmco from making false, misleading or deceptive claims regarding the manufacturing of all drugs formerly manufactured at the Cidra facility, regardless of where those drugs are now produced. The settlement has been submitted for approval by the Fourth District Court in Ada County. Deputy Attorney General Jane Hochberg handled the case for Attorney General Wasden’s Consumer Protection Division. |