ISLAMABAD – Rawalpindi Drug Court has sentenced, and imposed fine on top officials of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), a British healthcare company, for ‘substandard Medicine’.
A report shared by English daily shares insights into a rare verdict as the chief executive officer (CEO) and other employees of the pharma company faced action for a sub-standard Septran tablet.
Despite the drug court verdict, the company denied any misconduct in a case involving a substandard production of antibiotic medication used to treat a variety of bacterial infections.
The company intends to challenge the Rawalpindi Drug Court’s ruling as batch number HSBDS were reportedly found to be substandard based on a sample taken in 2018.
The report said GSK’s CEO, production manager, quality control manager, and warrantor were all found guilty. The company’s top official was fined Rs4.7 million and faces imprisonment until the rising of the court, with an additional three months if the fine is not paid.
The others were each fined Rs6lac and sentenced to two years in prison, with a further six months if the fines are not paid.
The company’s secretary told the media that the accused officials deny any wrongdoing and will appeal the judgment.
Meanwhile, the rare verdict started new debate, with some people questioning the severity of the punishment for a minor quality issue while others argue that the decision should serve as a warning to pharma companies to take drug court proceedings seriously.
