US firm Covington & Burling has taken the lead role for pharma giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) on its record $3bn (£1.9bn) criminal and civil settlement over drug misbranding, reports The Blog of Legal Times.

The settlement saw GSK agree to plead guilty to criminal charges and to pay $1bn (£638m) in criminal fines and forfeitures for the illegal marketing and promotion of the drugs Paxil and Wellbutrin.

Officials said the company between 1998 and 2003 unlawfully promoted Paxil for treating depression in patients under the age of 18. The officials said GSK also illegally promoted Wellbutrin for uses that included weight loss, substance abuse and sexual dysfunction.