Fujisawa Pharmaceutical Co. acknowledged Thursday that prosecutors raided its subsidiaries in Germany on suspicion of bribing doctors in connection with its flagship drug, but the firm denied any wrongdoing.
According to German media reports, prosecutors in Munich searched the offices of Fujisawa GmbH and Fujisawa Deutschland GmbH as well as two medical institutions Tuesday for evidence the firms paid excessive rewards to doctors at public hospitals to solicit the use of the immunosuppressive agent Prograf.
The case centers on so-called postmarket surveillance of drugs, which aims to improve the protection of the health and safety of patients by keeping track of how drugs are used.
Fujisawa officials denied any wrongdoing, claiming the rewards paid to the doctors were not illegal. They said the company is conducting an in-depth investigation, however.
Prograf, which debuted in 1993, has become Fujisawa's best-selling drug, with global annual sales of about 90 billion yen in the year to March 31, roughly 20 percent of its overall sales.