AstraZeneca says head of China branch under investigation

The director of the Chinese subsidiary of the British pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca has been placed under investigation in the Asian country, the company announced, following information about alleged illegal data collection and importation of unauthorized drugs.

AstraZeneca China President Leon Wang is “cooperating with Chinese authorities in the context of an ongoing investigation,” read a statement issued by the group on Wednesday.

“Our activities in China continue under the leadership of the current CEO of AstraZeneca China“he added. “If requested, AstraZeneca will fully cooperate with the investigation,” the same note reads.

China is a key market for the group, which gained global recognition during the Covid-19 pandemic for having developed one of the first vaccines against the disease.

In September, the company confirmed that several employees were being investigated in China. This information came after news that officials were being questioned about possible unauthorized data collection and the illegal importation of medicines.

The investigations carried out by the authorities in Shenzhen (southern China) involve five people of Chinese nationality, some still employed by the group and others no longer, according to the financial news agency Bloomberg.

One of the investigations is related to the collection of patient data.that authorities believe violated Chinese privacy protection laws, according to Bloomberg, which cited people close to the case.

Another investigation involves the importation of a liver cancer drug that has not been approved in mainland Chinathe agency said.

Astrazeneca, headquartered in Cambridge, UK, employs 90,000 people worldwide.

In recent years, some multinationals have reported an increasingly difficult business environment in China. They complain in particular about the lack of transparency in data legislation and the prolonged detention of officials.