GlaxoSmithKline pushed back repeatedly against demands to pay reparations for clinical trials on mother-and-baby home children after Minister for Children Roderic O’Gorman urged the drug company to accept corporate responsibility for the way tests were carried out.

As the Government struggles despite prolonged talks to settle a redress deal with church congregations who ran homes, internal files show GSK ruled out any reparation payments for trial participants before and after meeting Mr O’Gorman.

The same records, released under the Freedom of Information Act, show GSK spurned Government pressure to proactively “share” information on trials with participants or provide health screening to them.

The company provides information on request to survivors, although the Government has been told it identified and confirmed only six trial participants among the 184 people who asked to find out whether they were involved.

The revelations about vaccine and infant milk formula trials decades ago on some 1,148 children without the consent of parents or guardians ranked among disturbing aspects of the January 2021 mother-and-baby homes report...

Mr O’Gorman’s briefing note for the April 2021 meeting placed “emphasis on GSK making reparations” as the first item listed for his approach to the meeting. “There is no doubt there was a commercial interest in the outcome of these trials,” he was told.

“On this basis is it reasonable to stress the corporate responsibility and moral obligation on the company to do the right thing...

But GSK Ireland general manager Eimear Caslin wrote to the Minister almost five weeks later to say there would be no change in the stance it first set out the previous March.

“On the broader issue of redress, we fully appreciate the overwhelming public reaction to the publication of the Commission of Investigation report and your request to us to further reflect on our response,” Ms Caslin wrote.

“For the reasons outlined in our letter of March 23rd, 2021, we do not propose additional reparations in response to the issues raised in the commission’s report.”

In that letter, GSK said trials of products for “legacy companies” Wellcome and Glaxo were conducted by deceased Irish researchers and held them “personally responsible” for ensuring compliance with consents required under law.

“While the findings of the commission’s report are extremely upsetting, they do not question Wellcome or Glaxo’s responsibilities and duties in developing, manufacturing and supplying vaccines for the purposes described above. For that reason, we do not propose to pay reparations in response to the issues raised in the report.”