GSK China’s bribery scandal resolved with heavy sentence

 A few months ago, GlaxoSmithKline was shamefaced with its scandal in China, involving embezzlement of public property and bribery to then deputy health commission chief, Dr. Fengping Huang.

A majority of hospitals in China are state-run and are financially, minimally supported by the government. To supplement their unsatisfactory income, doctors often accept a sum to prioritize patients who require expensive treatments or surgeries. And new drug approvals or clinical trials in China are often the toughest barriers with its ambiguity and slow process due to sophisticated hierarchy within regulatory bodies.
Dr. Huang was arrested in late 2013. A year later, the drug maker was fined the ‘biggest such penalty ever imposed by a Chinese court’: $492 million. And just this month, Dr. Huang has been sentenced to 19 years of imprisonment.  The heavy decree of punishment imposed by the Chinese court supports the country’s efforts to encourage integrity. Clearer regulations, transparency and reduced (or the absence of) corruption will give China a better reputation in the global biopharma industry.