Summary Box: Glaxo used ghostwriting to push Paxil

British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline PLC used a ghostwriting operation called CASPPER to promote its antidepressant Paxil, allowing doctors to take credit for journal articles mainly written by company consultants, according to court documents.

Here are some details from the memo, which instructs salespeople to approach physicians and offer to help them write and publish articles in medical journals:

_ The company offers to help doctors with everything from "developing a topic" to "writing a first draft."

_ The program's goal is to "strengthen the product positioning and overcome competitive issues."

_ The company expects that "physicians will be eager to participate in CASPPER regardless of their professional stature," adding "less experienced physicians may be interested in building their reputation in the field."