GSK faces fresh allegations of bribery in Syria

GlaxoSmithKline, already under siege in China over charges of corruption that are likely to be aired in a Beijing courtroom on 7 August, faces fresh allegations of similar behaviour made by a whistleblower in Syria.

The new claims, reported by Reuters, bring to six the countries in which GSK has been accused of various malpractices: China, Poland, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and now Syria. The Syrian charges relate to non-prescription products, including the painkiller Panadol, and allege that GSK used bribes, speakers’ fees, trips, and free samples to promote its business, in breach of corruption laws. The offences are alleged to have taken place between 2010 and 2012, when the worsening security situation in …