Chinese police have charged the former head of drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline in China with corruption.<br /><br />Mark Reilly, who is British, along with two of the company’s Chinese executives, Zhang Guowei and Zhao Hongyan, are accused of running a scheme to bribe doctors and hospitals so they would buy medicines from GlaxoSmithKline. <br /><br />They are also reportedly suspected of bribing officials in the industry and commerce departments of Beijing and Shanghai.<br /><br />The charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison in the case of bribery. <br /><br />The company, at its headquarters in London, said the case was “deeply concerning” adding it “has zero tolerance for bribery “ and wanted to “reach a resolution”.<br /><br />Since the bribery scandal, GSK has announced an overhaul of its sales and marketing practices worldwide in a bid to prevent future wrongdoing. <br /><br />It also faces corruption allegations in other countries and is investigating claims that bribes were paid to doctors in Poland, Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon.<br /><br />with Reuters
