News & Resources
GlaxoSmithKline to Disclose Safety Data
In a tactic admission that it has misrepresented drug trial data in the past, GlaxoSmithKline announced this week it was going to open up portions of its research to the public, which is a first for a major drug company. Researchers responded to the news with both skepticism and enthusiam.
There seems little doubt that GSK decided to share this data after incurring criminal charges and a $3 billion dollar fine in what has been described as the largest case of healthcare fraud in U.S. history. The fine and criminal charges imposed against GSK in July of 2012 was the result of the company failing to report significant safety data about the diabetes drug Avandia and promoting the anti-depressant Paxil for unapproved uses.
According to the The New York Times yesterday, Andrew Witty, CEO of GSK, has apologized for past behavior stating, “We are deeply committed to doing everything we can to live up to and exceed the expectations of those we work with and serve. Since I became CEO, we have had a clear priority to ingrain a culture of putting patients first, acting transparently, respecting people inside and outside the organization and displaying integrity in everything we do.”
GSK has obviously tried to quell the public’s criticisms with its move to make its research more transparent. Still, the company is taking a step in the right direction, and perhaps the move may set a precedent in an industry that could use more transparency.
