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Big Pharma in corruption probe
The US government is investigating leading pharmaceuticals firms as part of a corruption probe. Companies including GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer and Merck are under scrutiny for hospitality, licensing and consultant payments made across the world. The US Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission are thought to be examining whether the drugs market breaches local and US anti-bribery laws, which prohibit offering payment to state employees for profit.