The office building of biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca is seen on May 23, 2024 in Shanghai, China.
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Some employees of British pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca The company confirmed on Thursday that they had been detained by Chinese police as part of the investigation.
“We are aware that a small number of our employees in China are under investigation and we have no additional information to share at this time,” an AstraZeneca spokesman told CNBC via email. He did not disclose details about the investigation.
This confirmation is for reported earlier Thursday Bloomberg News said that the five current and former employees interviewed were Chinese citizens working in the company’s oncology department.
One investigation is related to the company’s collection of patient data and the possibility of violating China’s data privacy laws, and the other is into the role of individuals in importing liver cancer drugs that were not approved for sale in mainland China, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter reported.
AstraZeneca shares fell 6.8% in early trading before recouping losses. The stock was last down 2.2% as of 12:18 pm London time.
Police in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen are reportedly investigating. CNBC could not immediately reach a spokesperson for the Shenzhen police.
The British drugmaker, which makes one of the leading Covid-19 vaccines, has a strong presence in China and has often talked about growth opportunities in the market.
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