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Drug giant GlaxoSmithKline will plead guilty and pay $3 billion to resolve federal criminal and civil inquiries.

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The company agreed to plead guilty to three criminal counts, including two counts of introducing misbranded drugs — Paxil and Wellbutrin — and one count of failing to report safety data about the drug Avandia to the Food and Drug Administration.

The $3 billion fine will be the largest penalty ever paid by a drug company, Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole said. The company also agreed to be monitored by government officials for five years to attempt to ensure the company’s compliance, Cole said.

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Under the terms of the plea agreement, GSK will pay a total of $1 billion, including a criminal fine of $956,814,400. The company also will pay $2 billion to resolve civil claims under the federal government’s False Claims Act.

Prosecutors said GlaxoSmithKline illegally promoted the drug Paxil for treating depression in children from April 1998 to August 2003, even though the FDA never approved it for anyone under age 18. The corporation also promoted the drug Wellbutrin from January 1999 to December 2003 for weight loss, the treatment of sexual dysfunction, substance addictions and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, although it was only approved for treatment of major depressive disorder.

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GlaxoSmithKline Pleads Guilty To Drug Promotion!  was originally published on elev8.com