Glaxo corruption revealed

Another upstanding Pharmaceutical company with a self-proclaimed "zero tolerance" corruption policy is neck deep in corruption inquiries, including one in Poland,which the company knew about internally but chose not to tell anyone until a UK television program blew the whistle on them.

GSK admitted on Monday that it had brought in private detectives to investigate the Polish claims in 2011 and "found evidence of inappropriate communication in contravention of GSK policy by a single employee. The employee concerned was reprimanded and disciplined in 2011."
The company said it was continuing to investigate the claims and was "co-operating fully with the CBA". However, GSK failed to inform the public or its shareholders of the Polish investigation until Monday despite chief executive Sir Andrew Witty promising to reform the organisation in the wake of the "shameful" and "deeply disappointing" allegations in China.
GSK only revealed details of the allegations following the Panorama investigation, broadcast on BBC1 on Monday. 
In the Panorama programme Jarek Wisniewski, a former GSK sales representative in the Polish region of Lodz, said GSK staff paid doctors to give speeches which did not take place. "We pay agreement for a speech, we pay £100 but we expect more than 100 prescriptions for this drug."
Wisniewski said his regional manager told them to do it, and that he blew the whistle to GSK. He said this resulted in his being sidelined at work and eventually sacked.

GSK is also embroiled in corruption investigations in the Middle East, primarily in  Iraq, Lebanon and Jordan, and in 2012 GSK paid a record $3bn (£1.9bn) in fines to settle claims that it bribed US doctors into prescribing antidepressants for non-approved uses.