LONDON (Alliance News) - GlaxoSmithKline PLC said Monday that it was continuing to investigate allegations of bribery in its Polish operations and was co-operating fully with Poland's Central Anti-Corruption Office, after the BBC Panorama programme reported that eleven doctors and one of the company's regional managers had been charged over alleged corruption between 2010 and 2012.
The programme said that the doctors had been bribed to promote Glaxo's asthma drug Seretide, and that the public prosecutor in the Lodz region of Poland had found evidence in documents from Glaxo to doctors that supported claims of corrupt payments in more than a dozen different health centres.
Glaxo confirmed in a statement Monday that following the allegations in 2011 it had investigated the matter using both inside and outside of the company.
"The investigation found evidence of inappropriate communication in contravention of GSK policy by a single employee. The employee concerned was reprimanded and disciplined in 2011," Glaxo said in a statement.
Glaxo said that it had run a programme to improve diagnostic standards and medical training relating to respiratory diseases with doctors and other healthcare professionals in Poland between 2010 and 2012. It arranged training on diagnostics for medical personnel and for patients as part of the programme, delivered by healthcare professionals who were paid by Glaxo.
The pharmaceutical giant also said that it agrees with the programme's concerns over the interactions between healthcare professionals and the pharmaceutical industry.
"We agree there is a need to modernise interactions between the pharmaceutical industry and healthcare professionals to ensure patients? interests are always put first and to eliminate even a perception of a conflict of interest," the company said.
Glaxo highlighted the changes it is making to the way that its sales representatives are paid, including dropping individual sales targets and stopping incentives for healthcare professionals for speaking engagements or attending conferences. The reforms are expected to be rolled out worldwide by 2016.
The company is already weathering investigations into bribery from authorities in China, following allegations that senior Glaxo executives had been involved in payments of up to USD500 million to doctors and hospital executives over the past six years.
Glaxo has confirmed that it had sometimes withheld incentive payments to staff in China when it has found potential issues with expenses claims, and has increased its monitoring and checking of claims in the country following bribery investigations by Chinese authorities, according to a spokesman for the company.
Additionally, last Monday Glaxo confirmed that it was investigating allegations of improper conduct in its Iraq business. The company said that the allegations related to a small number of individuals in the country.
Shares in Glaxo were trading down 1% at 1,536.00 pence Monday afternoon.
By Hana Stewart-Smith; hanassmith@alliancenews.com; @HanaSSAllNews
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