Forest Labs to pay more than $313 million for selling unapproved drugs

Forest Pharmaceuticals, a subsidiary of Forest Laboratories, yesterday agreed to plead guilty and pay more than $313 million to settle charges for distributing unapproved drug and illegal promoting an anti-depressant drug for use in treating children.

This case is one the many settlements made in recent times by the US pharmaceutical companies for promoting and selling unapproved or off-label drugs.

Earlier this month multi-specialty health care products maker Allergan agreed to pay $600 million and pleaded guilty to settle a US government probe into the marketing of off-label uses of its antiwrinkle treatment flagship drug Botox. (See: Allergan to pay $600 million to settle US probe on anti-wrinkle treatment drug) 

In September 2009, Pfizer, the world's biggest drug maker by sales, was fined a record $2.3 billion for illegally promoting 13 medicines, including Bextra pain medicine. (See: Pfizer agrees to pay $2.3 billion to settle illegal marketing case) 

The fine was the largest settlement to date for improper marketing of prescription drugs, topping the $1.42 billion fine imposed on Eli Lilly and Co in January 2009 for off-label sales of its blockbuster Zyprexa schizophrenia drug. (See: Eli Lilly to pay $1.42 billion to settle misdemeanor case regarding blockbuster drug Zyprexa) 

According to the criminal charges filed by the US Attorney for the District of Massachusetts, Forest illegally marketed three drugs Levothroid, Celexa and Lexapro.
Levothroid was an orally administered levothyroxine sodium drug used to treat hypothyroidism, a condition in which an individual has a thyroid deficiency. The anti-depressant drugs Celexa and Lexapro were, during the time period at issue, approved only for use in treatment of adult depression.