Unethical Business Research Conduct There are several reasons a company can be found guilty of an unethical/illegal crime. Whether they were asking inappropriate questions; skewing research results; failing to maintain participants’ confidential information; using participant information for unintended purposes such as selling goods or services. The list could continue through a long dissertation. On Monday, July 2, 2012 an unprecedented conviction for Health Care Fraud Settlement was reached. GlaxoSmithKline LLC pleaded guilty and had to pay $3 billion dollars in criminal and civil liability suits.
GlaxoSmithKline LLC was guilty of a few of these unethical and illegal practices. They not only skewed research results but they also used unethical business practices to sell their goods/prescription medications. They illegally promoted prescription drugs and failed to report certain safety data. They were found to be civically liable for false reporting practices. They also pleaded guilty to three counts of criminal information. Two counts of introducing misbranded drugs and one count of failing to report the safety data they were found civically liable for to the Food and Drug Administration. Misbranding is when the FDA approves a drug for one purpose and a manufacturer promotes it for other uses.
GlaxoSmithKline LLC participated in preparing and distributing a misleading medical journal article that stated that Paxil was effective in the treatment of depression on patients 18 and under. The injured parties were the children under 18 who received Paxil for treating their depression and their families who dealt with the consequences/side effects of a drug that was not working. Wellbutrin, a medication for severe depression, was also falsely promoted for weight loss, sexual dysfunctions and even for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Doctors were paid to speak at and attend meetings at lavish places where they were treated to meals and spa perks to listen to these off label promotion of medications. Avandia, a drug originally intended for Diabetes management was found to cause heart attacks. GlaxoSmithKline LLC went as far as providing medical providers kickbacks for promoting the use of these off label medications for something other than what the FDA approved them for.
This unethical behavior has affected GlaxoSmithKline LLC's pocketbook. They are also going to be very closely monitored to assure that they have discontinued their unethical and illegal business practices. They are bound to a five year Corporate Integrity Agreement with the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General. Their sales representatives are now paid based on quality not quantity. GlaxoSmithLkine LLC is “now to implement and maintain transparency in its research practices and publication policies and to follow specified policies in its contracts with various health care payors.” (Belkin 2014, p. 5)
The individuals/patients were affected by adverse side effects, perhaps no cure for their ailments and a frustration with “why is it not working”. Society is affected because people tend to trust medical journals since this has directly or indirectly affected what is/was thought to be reliable documentation to gather data for a medication one might consider taking. Society is also affected because many of these medications were promoted for use by Veterans Administration Health care programs who were perhaps suffering from PTSD or other challenges faced by the soldiers.
The illegal behavior conducted by GlaxoSmithKline LLC could have been avoided by abiding by the FDA guidelines of dispensing a medication only for uses that it has been approved for. Promoting medications during lavish retreats for Medical practitioners was also an unethical act by both the manufacturer and the Medical Practitioners. The doctors did not have to accept the bribes. They have a sworn duty to provide the best medically sound care for their patients and the doctors could have made the buck stop there. They too should have been held accountable for this type of illegal and unethical behavior. The government will continue to combat health care fraud and with HEAT (Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team) initiative with the Department of Health and Human Services. The more these two departments cooperate and join tasks forces the sooner they can recover more than they have already done. These types of legal findings against major medical product manufacturers will end up saving the American people a lot of money and perhaps some lives while they are at it.

References
Belkin, M. (July 2, 2012) Largest Health Care Fraud Settlement in U.S. History Against Top Vaccine Manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline. Health Impact News Daily. Retrieved from htto://healthimpactnews.com/2012/pharmaceutical-company-forced-to-pay-3-billion-over-faking-research-bribing-doctors/