Taking bribery from drug companies and over-prescribing medicine to patients is a common hidden rule among doctors in China. It’s also not uncommon for patients to give doctors red envelopes with cash as a blunt plea for them to do a good job on surgeries.

However, a Chinese court has just fined the British pharmaceuticals giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) $488.8 million for a massive ‘bribery network’. Their biggest fine ever!

What started out as an investigation on GSK in July, 2013, has finally ended with a guilty verdict for all key persons involved. The former head of GSK Chinese operations, Mark Reilly, has been served a 3-year prison sentence with a four-year reprieve, which means he is set to be deported instead of serving his time in a Chinese jail. His co-defendants also received 2-4 year prison sentences with reprieves.

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