UK drug company acts on bribe accusations in China

UK drug company GlaxoSmithKline (Glaxo; GSX.NYSE, GSX.LON) will look into an anonymous tip that its sales staff in China bribed doctors to prescribe their drugs, for unauthorized use in some cases, between 2004 and 2010, The Wall Street Journal reported. The pharmaceutical company has been embroiled in other regulatory mishaps with recent multi-billion dollar settlements in the US related to illegal marketing tactics. US authorities are still investigating Glaxo for allegedly bribing foreign government officials. China accounts for about 3% of the company’s total sales, and its growth there far outpaces its growth in more established Western markets.