Erika Kelton devoted almost a decade to a whistleblower action against GlaxoSmithKline PLC, but it finally paid off to the tune of $3 billion. Kelton, a partner at Phillips & Cohen in Washington, was lead attorney for the firm in an off-label marketing case involving a number of prescription drugs, including asthma drug Advair. It was the largest health care fraud settlement to date, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Advair received U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval to treat serious forms of asthma, but Glaxo allegedly marketed it to patients suffering from milder forms of asthma, for which it has not been approved.
