Novartis Likely To Get Clean Chit After Turkey Bribery Probe Reveals No Wrongdoing

An initial probe into bribery allegations against the Turkish unit of Swiss drugmaker Novartis has not revealed any wrongdoing, Turkey's health ministry reportedly said Friday. The full results of the investigation would be revealed next week, according to local media reports.

On Thursday, the ministry said it had launched the investigation into allegations that the drugmaker secured $85 million in business advantages by bribing Turkish officials to recommend its drugs to state-run hospitals. Reuters reported this week that an anonymous whistleblower had accused the company of paying bribes through a consulting firm.

Dismissing the complaints as unfounded, Novartis said Friday that the allegations were based on a past complaint. The Basel-based firm reportedly said an internal investigation concluded the claims are “false allegations.”

The internal findings were shared with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and Turkish authorities, the company added.

Novartis is currently being investigated by the U.S. and South Korean authorities in similar investigations. Last year, the company also faced a temporary suspension in Japan for misrepresenting clinical trial processes and study data, as well as side-effects reporting.