CURRAN ANNOUNCES $14 MILLION SETTLEMENT REGARDING THE DRUG PAXIL

Maryland Attorney General J. Joseph Curran, Jr. today announced a $14 million nationwide settlement concerning the drug Paxil with SmithKlineBeecham Corporation, which does business as GlaxoSmithKline. Paxil, the trade name for paroxetine hydrochloride, is widely prescribed to treat depression, anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder. The settlement resolves claims that GlaxoSmithKline delayed generic manufacturers from competing with Paxil by fraudulently listing a patent for paroxetine hydrochloride with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and prosecuting litigation concerning that patent. Curran said, "I will not allow drug companies to abuse the patent system and overcharge the citizens of Maryland."

The settlement, filed in federal court in Philadelphia yesterday, secures recovery for the State of Maryland’s claims for Medicaid and other prescription drug plan purchases of Paxil on behalf of indigent Marylanders. Other consumers’ claims as well as the State’s claims for prescription drug purchases made as part of its employee health benefit plan, are included in an earlier private class action settlement, described in detail at www.paxilclaims.com.

The settlement proceeds will be distributed among the states based on each state’s purchases of Paxil. Maryland is expected to receive approximately $260,000.