Chinese scientist found guilty of stealing Merck drugs

A Chinese researcher at WuXi PharmaTech (WX.NYSE) was found guilty in a Shanghai court of stealing and selling patented medical compounds from US pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co (MRK.NYSE), The Wall Street Journal reported. The Shanghai Pudong New Area People’s Court ruled on May 16 that a defendant it identified only as Mr Wang had stolen two Merck compounds while they were being tested in China. A person familiar with the matter said the man’s full name is Wang Hui. The court sentenced the man to 18 months probation and ordered him to pay around US$7,000 in restitution. Wuxi PharmaTech, which helps major drug companies to do the research and development work necessary to bring a new drug to market, issued a statement Monday expressing regret over what it said was the first such incident in 11 years of operation. Merck has been Wuxi PharmaTech’s single biggest customer by revenue in recent years.