Belgium's UCB visited by drugs probe authorities
Source: Agencies |
July 19, 2013, Friday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
Belgian drugmaker UCB has been visited by Chinese authorities as China widens investigations into bribery by drugmakers, following allegations against Britain's GlaxoSmithKline.
A spokesman for UCB said yesterday that officials were also investigating a number of other foreign drug companies with operations in the country. He did not identify them.
Chinese police have accused GSK of bribing officials and doctors to boost sales and raise the price of its medicines, marking a hardening stance against malpractice by multinationals operating in the country.
"They've been launching inspections with several pharma companies active in the country, both Chinese and foreign companies such as ours, and as part of the process our Shanghai office was visited by the agency in the last 48 hours," the UCB spokesman said.
The officials visiting the group's office were from the State Administration for Industry and Commerce and were seeking information on compliance, he said.
The SAIC is one of China's main three anti-trust regulators in charge of market supervision.
Its investigations often overlap with the country's top watchdog, the National Development and Reform Commission, which recently launched a pricing investigation into local and international drugmakers, including GSK, Merck and Estella's Pharma.
On Monday, Chinese police accused GSK of transferring up to 3 billion yuan (US$489 million) to 700 travel agencies and consultancies to facilitate bribes - an allegation GSK said it was deeply concerned about and which it called "shameful."
China's action against GSK, including the detention of four senior Chinese executives and a ban on a British executive leaving the country, has sent a chill through the pharmaceutical sector. There's widespread speculation that other multinational companies would be drawn into the corruption investigations.
A spokesman for UCB said yesterday that officials were also investigating a number of other foreign drug companies with operations in the country. He did not identify them.
Chinese police have accused GSK of bribing officials and doctors to boost sales and raise the price of its medicines, marking a hardening stance against malpractice by multinationals operating in the country.
"They've been launching inspections with several pharma companies active in the country, both Chinese and foreign companies such as ours, and as part of the process our Shanghai office was visited by the agency in the last 48 hours," the UCB spokesman said.
The officials visiting the group's office were from the State Administration for Industry and Commerce and were seeking information on compliance, he said.
The SAIC is one of China's main three anti-trust regulators in charge of market supervision.
Its investigations often overlap with the country's top watchdog, the National Development and Reform Commission, which recently launched a pricing investigation into local and international drugmakers, including GSK, Merck and Estella's Pharma.
On Monday, Chinese police accused GSK of transferring up to 3 billion yuan (US$489 million) to 700 travel agencies and consultancies to facilitate bribes - an allegation GSK said it was deeply concerned about and which it called "shameful."
China's action against GSK, including the detention of four senior Chinese executives and a ban on a British executive leaving the country, has sent a chill through the pharmaceutical sector. There's widespread speculation that other multinational companies would be drawn into the corruption investigations.
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