Glaxo's $3bn fraud payout

Sir Andrew Witty, Glaxo's chief executive, expressed regret yesterday and said the company had learned "from the mistakes that were made".

Glaxo promoted the popular anti-depressants Paxil and Wellbutrin for unapproved uses.

Prosecutors said that between 1998 and 2003 Glaxo illegally promoted Paxil for treating depression in children, even though it was not approved for under 18s.

The company also promoted Wellbutrin from 1999 to 2003 for weight loss, sexual dysfunction, substance addictions and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, although it was approved only for treatment of major depression.

And Glaxo will admit failing to report to the government for seven years on safety problems with the diabetes drug Avandia, which was restricted in the US and banned in Europe after it was found in 2007 to sharply increase the risks of heart attacks and congestive heart failure.

Drugs firm GlaxoSmithKline will pay three billion dollars (£1.9bn) in fines after admitting to the largest healthcare fraud in US history.

The UK's largest pharmaceutical company was accused of bribing doctors in America to prescribe medicines for unapproved uses, with potentially dangerous side effects.

Glaxo, which is based in west London and has household names such as Lucozade and Ribena under its brand, is due to plead guilty to criminal and civil offences involving 10 drugs taken by millions of people.