With bribery fines behind it, GSK brings back bonuses for sales staff

24 May 2019

British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline (LSE: GSK) has reintroduced its bonus program for sales staff, to “better recognize and reward individual effort.”

The firm was prompted to ban bonuses for its salespeople in 2012 after it was hit by a $3 billion fine for bribing doctors to write additional prescriptions for its products. Legislation such as the US Sunshine Act also compelled a change to practices.

GSK was also forced to fire 110 staff in China in 2014, and pay almost half a billion dollars in fines, following an investigation which found instances of bribery. The firm also published a statement of apology to the Chinese government and its people at that time.

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