A pharmaceutical drug manufacturer recently pled guilty to making defective drugs, and now the company is paying excessively for it. In a settlement with the Justice Department, Pharmco Puerto Rico Inc., will pay a $150 million criminal fine in addition to civil settlements totaling about $600 million. Pharmco Puerto Rico is a subsidiary of GlaxoSmithKline.
According to the Justice Department, Pharmco manufactured a time-release version of the popular anti-depressant Paxil, called Paxil CR. The company made the drug using methods that failed to conform to proper manufacturing processes. The Pharmco product contained a “critical defect” that could cause the pills to split and distribute the medication improperly or not at all. The result was an “adulterated” process that could create unsafe and impure prescription products.
And Paxil CR is not the only unsafe drug produced by Pharmco. Officials said Pharmco also manufactured Kytril, Bactrobank and Avandamet and all had manufacturing defects.
This latest fine is part of the Justice Department’s effort on reigning in rogue pharmaceutical companies. So far, the agency has collected over $5.4 billion in fines and penalties from drug makers that broke the law.
Did you suffer any injuries from Paxil CR or any other defective prescription drug?
Colson Hicks Eidson – Florida injury lawyers