Rick Karlin reports in the Times Union drug maker GlaxoSmithKline will pay a record settlement of $3 billion for a series of abuses and settle charges centering on the marketing of its anti-depressant drugs Paxil and Wellbutrin, in addition to a failure to pay promised rebates to Medicaid. Part of the settlement includes a $146 million payment to the New York state Medicaid system, with some of that money possibly going back to counties. The company also pleaded guilty in federal court to improper marketing and failing to report safety concerns about the diabetes drug Avandia. In a statement company officials said the company has learned from its mistakes and has agreed to abide by a new corporate integrity compact. The British-based firm occupies the old Stiefel manufacturing plant in Oak Hill, and W.T. Eckert, reporting for The Daily Mail, spoke with Greene County Legislator Patricia Handel (R-Durham) after the settlement was announced. Handel told the paper it was disappointing to learn a company that “brought so much positive feeling” to the town and county has been “labeled as deceptive and fraudulent.” Read the full stories in the Times Union and The Daily Mail.