Drug court penalizes GSK executives for substandard medicine

In a landmark ruling, the Rawalpindi Drug Court sentenced the CEO and other employees of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) to imprisonment and imposed heavy fines for distributing a medicine deemed substandard.

The case began when a drug inspector from Tehsil Hasan Abdal filed a complaint in 2018 after another inspector, Uzma Khalid, tested a batch of the tablet Septran, which was later found to be below standard by the Drug Testing Laboratory in Rawalpindi.

The court documents revealed that despite being aware of the issue, GSK did not recall the drug or halt its marketing, nor did it investigate the production flaws.

The CEO received a sentence that will end at the court's adjournment and a fine of Rs4.7 million, facing three months in prison if unable to pay. Three other executives were each sentenced to two years in prison and fined Rs600,000, with an additional six months in prison if they fail to pay the fines.

GSK has denied all charges and plans to appeal the decision. GSK Secretary Agha Salman Taimur stated the company's intent to contest the ruling, as communicated in a letter to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX).