Top city health planner's arrest linked to GSK bribery scandal

A top city family planning official was arrested yesterday by the Shanghai People's Procuratorate for alleged financial irregularities and connection to an ongoing investigation into UK drug company GlaxoSmithKline.

Huang Fengping, former vice director of the Shanghai Health and Family Planning Commission, had been suspended from his job early this month after being taken away by the Ministry of Public Security to assist the investigation related to the GSK bribery scandal.

In July, the ministry detained four GSK executives and other related personnel in China over allegations that they were involved in giving bribes totaling 3 billion yuan (US$484 million) to government officials, medical associations and foundations, hospitals and doctors.

GSK has said it will stop all kinds of payments to doctors to promote its products, as the company tries to distance itself from the bribery scandal.

Huang, a neurosurgeon, worked at Huashan Hospital for more than 10 years before he became the commission's vice director in May of last year.