Drug giant faces bribery claims

GlaxoSmithKline, Britain’s biggest drug business, has been accused of bribing doctors to prescribe their medicines in Europe.

Medical doctors in Poland have been allegedly paid to advertise its asthma drug, Seretide, under the guise of funding for an education programme, a former income rep has claimed. Medics have been also said to have been paid for lectures in the country which did not consider area.

Prosecutors in Lodz are investigating and have charged eleven doctors and a GSK regional manager in connection with alleged corruption, in accordance to a BBC Panorama programme.

GSK, which has a turnover of more than £26 billion, is currently facing bribery allegations in China and Iraq.The most recent claims had been created by Jarek Wisniewiski, who worked as a income rep for the business for eight many years until finally 2012. In 2010, he worked on a marketing and advertising programme in Poland to promote Seretide. He mentioned that, on paper, income was supplied for educating individuals about the drug but claims it was, in actuality, paying doctors to prescribe a lot more of the medicine.

Another former GSK drug rep, who did not want to be identified, claimed they paid neighborhood doctors for lectures that by no means occurred and this would outcome in a higher number of prescriptions.

Wisniewiski stated he advised GSK he was unhappy with the arrangement, which resulted in him currently being sidelined and then later sacked.

GSK advised the programme that it investigated the matter and discovered “evidence of inappropriate communication in contravention of GSK policy by a single employee”, who was “discplined as a result”. It extra that it was “cooperating completely with the CBA (Central Anti-corruption Company).”

Panorama: Who’s Paying out Your Medical professional? is on tomorrow, at eight.30pm, on BBC One particular.

Drug giant faces bribery claims