Pfizer facing possible fines over bribery claim

A lawyer in Beijing has called for the country's top prosecution authority to investigate allegations of bribery involving pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, which has been found to have made improper payments to medical workers and regulators in eight countries, including China.

Hao Junbo, a lawyer at the Lehman Law Firm in Beijing, said on Wednesday that he submitted a letter and an e-mail to the Supreme People's Procuratorate on Friday asking it to look into the case.

The New York-based pharmaceutical company was accused of offering bribes to doctors and officials in European and Asian countries to obtain regulatory and formulary approvals, sales, and prescriptions for its products, the US Securities and Exchange Commission said in a news release in early August.