Chinese police say employees of drug maker GlaxoSmithKline bribed doctors, hospitals

[Ichingcarpenter]

China’s police ministry said Thursday that it has found employees of drug manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline bribed doctors and hospitals to prescribe medications.

Employees gave free travel as “large bribes” to doctors, hospitals, foundations and medical associations “to open new sales channels and increase drug revenues,” the ministry said in a statement.




It identified the employees only as “high officials” of Britain-based GSK and gave no details of the size of payments or who received them. It said the investigation took place in Shanghai and the cities of Changsha and Zhengzhou.

“After questioning, the suspects confessed to the crime,” the statement said.

GlaxoSmithKline didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/chinese-police-say-employees-of-drug-maker-glaxosmithkline-bribed-doctors-hospitals/2013/07/11/eeedaabc-e9f2-11e2-818e-aa29e855f3ab_story.html?



This is quite common occurrence in the US with only a slight penalty. I wonder what the penalty will be for this in China?

[malaise]

1. Normal business

Cruises, holiday weekends at five star resorts, etc are all par for the course.

[Ichingcarpenter]

2. My doctor once pushed pills on me that

Later were found out to be dangerous. He admitted drug companies push drugs with everything you mentioned.


I'm curious to see what the chinese do with this. Slap on the wrist? ..... They don't like bribes and when they find it ... look out.

[malaise]

3. They'll make some noise

while others will ignore it and get rich.

[Gman]

4. In this country their called incentives

[NewJeffCT]

5. This is the normal way of doing business in China

they must have pissed off the wrong person(s) to have been caught.

[Octafish]

6. Penalty? Take two bullets to the back of the head and call Mao in the morning.

Friends of the BFEE, these rotters on all three sides.