Nevada will receive piece of settlement with drugmaker
Nevada will receive $688,192 as part of a $40.75 million settlement announced Thursday between 37 attorneys general with GlaxoSmithKline and its SB Pharmco Puerto Rico unit over substandard drug manufacturing processes at a now-closed factory in Cidra, Puerto Rico.
A complaint by the attorneys general, outlined in a statement from Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto’s office, accuses GlaxoSmithKline and SB Pharmco of deceptive practices when they manufactured and distributed faulty batches of four drugs between 2001 and 2004. The drugs are Kytril, a drug to prevent nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy; Bactroban, an antibiotic ointment to treat skin infections; Paxil CR, a controlled-release formulation of antidepressant Paxil; and Avandamet, a combination drug for Type II diabetes.
The Cidra plant has been closed since 2009.
In a separate statement, GlaxoSmithKline said it settled the matter to avoid the cost and uncertainty of protracted litigation. The company admitted no wrongdoing or liability under the states’ consumer-protection laws.
