China’s top drug distributor Sinopharm says ex-VP detained

Sinopharm Group Co Ltd, China’s largest pharmaceutical distributor, said its former vice president has been detained as part of a probe into alleged corruption, the latest industry official to come under scrutiny. Shi Jinming was detained on Friday by Shanghai authorities, while Xu Yizhong, a former general manager of a wholly owned subsidiary, was also under investigation, Sinopharm said in a statement late on Sunday. Sinopharm said the case had no material impact on its operations and it had set up a special committee to examine and review its internal control system. The most high-profile investigation involved British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline Plc, significantly denting the firm’s China sales and spooking doctors more widely to reduce interaction with sales teams.