Whistleblower Lawsuit Results in $750 million Settlement for GlaxoSmithKline
Facing criminal and civil charges relating to the manufacturing and distribution of certain adulterated drugs made at its Cidra Manufacturing Plant in Puerto Rico, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has pleaded guilty and agreed to pay the United States $600 million in settlement of criminal charges and $150 million for civil violations.
The Cidra Manufacturing Plant had been cited by the FDA for manufacturing violations as early as 2002. GSK had instructed Cheryl Eckard and a team of scientists to fix these manufacturing violations. According to Eckards lawyers, she and her team found additional problems than those already cited by the FDA, including mixed-up products, contaminated water systems, and air-handling systems that misdirected the flow of product powder. She recommended GSK shut down the plant, advice which GSK ignored. Her lawyers indicate that she was fired in 2003 after she had, on numerous occasions, requested GSK to address the problems at the Cidra Manufacturing Plant.
Eckard then instituted a qui tam lawsuit in federal court in the District of Massachusetts under the False Claims Act in 2004. The qui tam, or whistleblower, lawsuit permits private citizens to bring suits on behalf of the United States and share in any recovery. In a press release dated October 26, 2010, the Justice Department discussed the effectiveness of the False Claims Act in cases involving fraud against federal health care programs, indicating total recoveries since January 2009 of $5.4 billion. The whistleblower in this case, Cheryl Eckard, will receive approximately $96 million as her share of the settlement amount.
Among the drugs manufactured at the closed Cidra facility were Kytril, a sterile anti-nausea medicine, and Bactroban, a topical anti-infection ointment. The criminal information alleges that GSK failed to ensure that these products were free of contamination from microorganisms. Additionally, it is alleged that manufacturing deficiencies resulted in Paxil CR, a two-layer tablet which is the controlled-release formulation of the popular anti-depressant drug, Paxil, to split apart. Also, Avandemet, a combination Type II Diabetes drug, allegedly was not always composed of the FDA approved mix of active ingredients, and potentially contained too much or too little of the ingredient with the therapeutic effect. The Cidra facility also allegedly suffered numerous product mix-ups.
Commenting on the settlement, Mark Dragonetti, Special Agent in Charge of the FDA New York Field Office, stated:
FDA expects pharmaceutical companies to abide by these manufacturing standards and correct deficiencies in an expedited manner. FDA and its law enforcement partners will continue to aggressively pursue those companies that place the public health at risk by distributing products that do not comply with all FDA requirements.
U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz expressed his views that the industry must comply with all of the rules and regulations or face these severe consequences. “To do less erodes public confidence and compromises patient safety.”
If you have any questions regarding qui tam actions, FDA manufacturer requirements or any other FDA regulations, please contact Fuerst Ittleman, PL at contact@fidjlaw.com.