GlaxoSmithKline in $105 million settlement for mis-selling with 44 US states

UK pharma giant GlaxoSmithKline (LSE: GSK) has agreed to a $105 million settlement with 44 US states and the District of Columbia over allegations that it mis-promoted three drugs.

The company faced allegations that it illegally marketed the asthma drug Advair (fluticasone/salmeterol) as a first-line treatment for patients with mild asthma, as well as the antidepressants Paxil (paroxetine) for pediatric use and Wellbutrin (bupropion) for various unauthorized conditions.

GSK did not admit any wrongdoing, and said the charges came from past issues. "We don't feel like this is who we are today," a GSK spokeswoman told the UK’s public broadcaster the BBC. She noted that the charges relate to GSK's $3 billion settlement reached in 2012 to resolve multiple US government investigations into its marketing of Paxil and Wellbutrin, among other matters, and that the company had already set aside money to cover the cost of the agreement.