SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Oregon Attorney General John Kroger says his state will receive $5.9 million of a $750 million global settlement by British pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline PLC.
Federal prosecutors in Massachusetts said Tuesday the company will pay the money to settle allegations that it knowingly manufactured and sold adulterated drugs, including the popular antidepressant Paxil.
U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz says the company will pay $150 million in criminal fines and $600 million in civil penalties related to faulty manufacturing processes at its plant in Cidra, Puerto Rico. Ortiz says the company allowed several drugs to be adulterated between 2001 and 2005, including Paxil CR, a skin-infection ointment called Bactroban, and an anti-nausea drug called Kytril, and a diabetes drug called Avandamet.
GlaxoSmithKline said in a statement that it regrets operating the plant in a manner that violated good manufacturing practices.
