It’s a rarity when major multinational giants taken on – publicly, anyway –  news organizations over how stories are reported.

But GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: GSK) has taken the proverbial gloves off in a duel with The Guardian newspaper in the U.K.

“GSK Playing Hardball With UK Families Over Avandia Litigation,” the newspaper’s report said. 

Given GSK’s decision on how to handle Avandia in the U.S. (it’s settling suits), the stance in the U.K. is interesting, to say the least.

The Defense

In a blog post at its website, GSK defended itself and the handling of Avandia cases after The Guardian reported the company will not concede defeat in lawsuits over the controversial diabetes drug.

“GSK response to news article in The Guardian on UK legal proceedings related to Avandia (rosiglitazone),” the blog post headline reads.

“Responding to a news article in The Guardian this morning (Jan. 30) on UK legal proceedings related to our type 2 diabetes medicine Avandia (rosiglitazone), we would like to make the following points:

“We have every sympathy for people with health complications associated with diabetes and those who care for them. However, respecting the UK court process, we are unable to comment on ongoing legal cases

“.We continue to believe that the company acted appropriately and responsibly in its management of Avandia.

“Specifically, it is wrong to suggest that we hid or concealed safety data relating to Avandia.

“We made Avandia clinical trial results available on our website and shared these with regulators.

“With respect to Avandia, the settlement reached in 2012 following a US Department of Justice investigation related solely to the inadvertent omissions in certain Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulatory reports of information regarding the initiation and status of certain studies.

“The Department of Justice has expressly acknowledged that the information had been provided by GSK to the FDA in other forms. The FDA has also stated that the omissions did not impact the agency’s evaluation of the safety data related to Avandia.

“We continue to stand behind the safety and efficacy profile of Avandia in the treatment of type 2 diabetes when used appropriately.

“Nevertheless, we fully accept regulators’ decisions to restrict its use and have worked to make sure health professionals and patients understand this latest advice and guidance.”

The Offense

GSK’s response came after The Guardian reported that the company faces a number of lawsuits in the U.K. over Avandia.

“We expect the number of claims to increase as there are potentially thousands of people out there who took Avandia in the U.K.,” a lawyer told the newspaer. “Hopefully these claims will lead to more careful studies and checks on drugs that are widely marketed.”

GSK has said it paid more than $3 billion to settle U.S. federal and state government claims that it illegally marketed Avandia, once the world’s best-selling diabetes pill, and other medications. According to estimates by Bloomberg news service, individual Avandia settlements in the U.S. will be around $57,000.

“It is very disappointing,” the attorney said of GSK’s decision to fight. “We anticipate that these claims do have a good prospect of success, but they still have to prove their case in the UK with suitable evidence. They are tasked with having to produce that evidence, including medical expert opinion. It is a burden one would have thought they might not have to go through.”

If GSK leaders believed the Avandia settlements in the U.S. would make the nightmare go away, they obviously were mistaken.

GSK going public with a response to The Guardian shows the firm remains very sensitive to criticism about the drug and its handling. If court fights begin in public across the U.K., watch out … 

[GSK ARCHIVE: Check out a decade of GSK stories as reported in WRAL Tech Wire.]