AstraZeneca has said in a statement that one of its sales team has been questioned by the police. However, it added that it believed this investigation 'relates to an individual case and while we have not yet received an update from the Public Security Bureau, we have no reason to believe it’s related to any other investigations.' According to the Financial Times, three pharma companies - Roche, Sanofi and Merck - have all cut their previous connections with the Shanghai Linjiang International Travel Agency, the company alleged to have co-operated with some Glaxo staff in facilitating the bribery of doctors.
Still detained
Four Glaxo staff are still being detained by the Chinese authorities, including its legal affairs director Zhao Hongyan who acted as a judge at China's Railway Court before joining the pharmaceuticals giant six years ago. Meanwhile Glaxo has given a statement suggesting that some of its employees acted outside the law. A Glaxo statement given to Reuters said: 'Certain senior executives of GSK China who know our systems well, appear to have acted outside of our processes and controls which breaches Chinese law.'
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