ChinaGate Now Engulfs Novartis As A Sales Rep Alleges Bribes

The latest drugmaker to become implicated in the bribery scandal overtaking the global pharmaceutical industry in China is Novartis. A former sales rep alleges the drugmaker offered bribes to doctors in some hospitals to drive sales of its Sandostatin LAR medication, which is used to treat cancers of the stomach, intestine and pancreas, The Shanghai Daily writes, citing a report in the 21st Century Business Herald. The rep, who was only identified as ‘Li Li,’ claims she was ordered to ensure that nearly $105,000 in sales were achieved by providing about $8,000 to doctors. The bribe was purportedly suggested by a supervisor since ‘Li’ was having difficulty meeting targets over the past two months. She also maintained that reps were told to persuade doctors to prescribe the drug for unapproved uses. In its defense, the drugmaker tells the paper that the rep began working its oncology business unit in January and was in charge of sales to major hospitals in northeastern China. The rep is reportedly seeking more than $800,000 in compensation, although Novartis plans to pursue disciplinary action if there was any misconduct or violations of its policies or Chinese law. This is only the latest lurid allegation to surface as a result of the bribery scandal. A few days ago, a whistleblower claimed that Sanofi had offered ‘research grants’ worth more than $275,000 to at least 500 doctors in 79 hospitals in China. The Shanghai Health and Family Planning Commission is now mo...
Source: Pharmalot - Category: Pharma Commentators Authors: Source Type: blogs