$96m award for sacked whistleblower
GlaxoSmithKline to make $750m payout
Cheryl Eckard, sacked as global quality assurance manager of drugs giant GlaxoSmithKline, will receive US$96m of a the companys $750m US court settlement over allegations that it manufactured and sold adulterated drugs in Puerto Rico.
As a whistle-blower under the federal False Claims Act, Eckard will receive $96m of the settlement, Al-Jazeera reported quoting her lawyers, who said they believe her award is the biggest US whistleblower award in history.
This is not something I ever wanted to do, but because of patient safety issues, it was necessary, Eckard said following news of the settlement.
Eckard discovered numerous violations at the plant in 2002, including cross-contamination between different products being made there. She reported the problems to the company, and eventually went to the FDA to report the problems and later filed a whistle-blower lawsuit.
Eckard said she was fired in 2003 after repeatedly reporting the problems to the company.
The company said the plant closed in 2009 due to declining demand for the medicines made there.
DETAILS http://fwd4.me/kC2 target=_new>Al-Jazeera
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