Monday, August 12, 2013

Probe Of Sanofi Launched As China Gets Handle On Nagging Drug Prices
Pink Sheet Daily
August 11, 2013

Executive Summary
As Beijing municipal authorities take on the latest bribery allegations against a foreign drug maker, this time Sanofi, experts say China is beginning to get a handle on its long-nagging issue of high prices.

As Beijing municipal authorities take on the latest bribery allegations against a foreign drug maker, this time Sanofi, experts say China is beginning to get a handle on its long-nagging issue of high prices. Beijing investigators were quick to establish a joint investigation into a whistleblower's allegations Sanofi paid a total of $274,048 to 503 doctors at 79 city hospitals. The China clampdown on drug prices can be traced back to at least a year ago when officials counted 31 imported treatments selling at twice the prices charged in the U.K., followed by several other studies that led to a series of investigations of multinational drug makers, beginning with GlaxoSmithKline. One analyst said the government is concerned the high prices are interfering with health-care access at a time it is spending billions to expand access to all parts of the country.