GSK to go public on clinical trials
British pharmaceuticals giant GlaxoSmithKline today agreed to make public information about all its clinical drug trials following accusations that it misled doctors about the safety of an anti-depressant for children.
The company will become the first major drug manufacturer to disclose such information as the result of a promise made as part of the settlement of a lawsuit filed by New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer.
The suit, filed in June, accused the company of “concealing important information about the safety and efficacy of an anti-depressant drug“.
Mr Spitzer claimed the company withheld the results of medical studies about the drug, Paxil.
But the Attorney General’s office announced today that the suit had been settled.
GlaxoSmithKline also agreed to pay £1.4m (€2.1m) under the terms.
“This settlement holds GSK to a new standard of disclosure about studies concerning its drugs, a standard that helps to ensure that doctors and patients have access to all scientifically sound information so doctors can prescribe appropriate medication for their patients,” Mr Spitzer said in a statement.
“By agreeing to release both positive and negative studies about the safety and efficacy of its drugs, GSK has set an example for the entire pharmaceutical industry.”
