Hawaii to get $1.2M in Advair settlement

Pharmaceutical manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline LLC has agreed to pay the state of Hawaii $1.2 million, as part of a $105 million agreement with 43 other states and the District of Columbia to settle allegations that it marketed drugs for uses not approved by federal regulators.

Lawsuits filed in 44 states and the District of Columbia alleged that the British drugmaker misrepresented the uses and qualities of its asthma drug Advair and the antidepressants Paxil and Wellbutrin.

The company isn’t acknowledging any wrongdoing in the settlement announced Wednesday, but it agrees not to pay doctors to promote its products, make unapproved claims, or use financial incentives that encourage salespeople to market drugs for uses not approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

GlaxoSmithKline settled a similar case with the federal government two years ago for a record $3 billion.

Its marketing practices also are under investigation in Britain, China and several other countries.

"While we are certain this will put a stop to the off-label use of these drugs, we will be keeping a close eye on how the company proceeds forward in its business practices," Bruce Kim, executive director of the Hawaii Office of Consumer Protection, said in a statement. "Patients need to feel safe in the way their health is being treated. Profit cannot be the motivation for these decisions."

Waimea biomass plant up for auction

The activated carbon processing facility and biomass power plant formerly owned by Big Island Carbon LLC will be auctioned off online June 17, by order of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

According to a statement released by the company staging the auction, items being sold include process, plant support, laboratory/testing, maintenance/shop, and electrical equipment, several pre-engineered metal buildings, and office furniture and equipment.

The plant in Waimea, on Hawaii island, was built to crush and char macadamia nut shells and activate the charcoallike products in a non-chemical manner for conversion into energy.

Former management says the company identified the steps and costs necessary to prepare the operation for full production, but funding was cut off before full production could begin and the company filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation in November 2013.

A previous, more traditional-style auction, was set for April 4. This time around, bidders can preview items on-site, 61-3277 Maluokalani St., in Waimea, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 14-16, and online at bidspotter.com, where the live webcast auction will begin at 10:30 a.m. Hawaii time on June 17.

Firm rates city third for traffic congestion

Honolulu was the third-most traffic-congested city in the U.S. in 2013, according to navigation device maker TomTom Inc.

The average American spends eight working days in traffic each year.

Los Angeles was the worst, followed by San Francisco.

TomTom’s study measures travel times during the whole day and during peak periods compared with travel times during noncongested, or free flow, periods.

Honolulu is followed by Seattle and San Jose, Calif. New York City is new to the top 10, ranked at No. 6.

Data collected by TomTom shows that the Thursday evening commute represents the worst peak congestion in the U.S.

Economy grew stronger in past 2 months

WASHINGTON » A Federal Reserve survey shows the U.S. economy strengthening over the past two months in areas from manufacturing and construction to retail sales and bank lending.

Seven of the Fed’s 12 regions — Boston; New York; Richmond, Va.; Chicago; Minneapolis; Dallas; and San Francisco — reported "moderate" growth during the early spring, while the remaining five described growth as "modest," according to the Beige Book survey released Wednesday.

Retail sales were reviving, helped by pent-up demand for new cars after the harsh winter, the survey found. Manufacturing was expanding in all regions, along with lending. One weakness was home sales, held back in large part by a tight supply of available homes.

ON THE MOVE

WCIT Architecture has announced Tod Gushiken has joined the firm as a project coordinator. His experience includes serving as a designer-project manager for IDS Architects, a designer for Minatoshi Architects and an intern-designer for Architecture International of Mill Valley, Calif.

Central Pacific Financial Corp., a parent company of Central Pacific Bank, has appointed Raymond W. "Bill" Wilson to executive vice president and chief risk officer for both Central Pacific Financial and Central Pacific Bank. He is responsible for overseeing the consolidated risk management areas of the bank, including credit administration, compliance, legal, information security, fraud mitigation, retail credit and internal auditing. Wilson served as the bank’s executive vice president and chief credit officer since joining CPB in 2010.

SHIFTING GEARS

Maui High duo heads to auto skills nationals

Chayce Mimura and Devin Vea of Maui High School will compete for a share of $11 million in scholarships and prizes at the national 2014 Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills competition on Tuesday.

The students were named qualifiers to the national event during the state championship in April and are bringing Maui High to the national finals for the 18th time. MHS teams won national titles in 1995 and 2000 and have placed in the top 10 for the past 10 years.

Instructor Dennis Sasai will accompany Mimura and Vea to Dearborn, Mich., for the timed competition, in which teams from all 50 states will have to diagnose and repair identically "bugged" vehicles. This year’s model is the Ford Fusion SE.

The team with the fastest repair time, coupled with best written test score, will be crowned national champion and will win scholarships and prizes — including a chance to job-shadow Trevor Bayne, Wood Brothers Racing’s Motorcraft/Quick Lane #21 Ford Fusion driver and winner of the 2011 Daytona 500 — that include participation in preparations for the Coke Zero 400 in Daytona Beach, Fla., in July.

Tesla boasts greenest vehicle on the road

Tesla Motors, which hit the automotive scene with a sleek, speedy and much-buzzed-about roadster, has topped the AAA Green Car Guide with its Model S P85.

The vehicle has a 265-mile range and can take awhile to charge with a 240-volt charger, according to Steve Mazor, chief engineer and manager of the Automobile Club of Southern California’s Automotive Research Center.

"Nonetheless, the Model S was our top-scoring vehicle this year by a wide margin," he said.

The car has a list price of $87,070, according to the Tesla website.