China launches new pharma probe

China is launching a new three-month investigation into the country’s scandal-plagued pharmaceutical and medical services sector, Reuters reported, citing the official Xinhua news agency. The investigation by the State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC), which is responsible for market supervision, is targeting bribery, fraud and other anti-competitive practices. The National Development and Reform Commission is currently probing drugmakers over the prices of their products in China. Separately, the SAIC said it wanted to prevent China’s industry associations from being the “driving force”, or organizers, of monopolistic behavior, Xinhua quoted SAIC official Cao Hongying as saying.