Briton Peter Humphrey arrested amid pharmaceuticals probe

A British risk consultant held in China since mid-July amid an investigation into the country’s pharmaceutical industry has been arrested, the British Embassy in Beijing and his family said on Wednesday.

Peter Humphrey and his wife, Yu Yingzeng, were detained in Shanghai on July 10 as police probed bribery allegations against British drug maker GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).

In China, an arrest typically means police believe they have enough evidence for a case to be brought to trial. Detentions can last for weeks and end in release without charges being filed.

It was not immediately clear if Humphrey’s arrest was directly related to the investigation of GSK, which has been accused by China of funnelling up to 3 billion yuan (HK$3.8 billion) to travel agencies to facilitate bribes to doctors and officials.

China has taken a tough stance on corruption and high prices in the pharmaceutical industry as it unrolls wider healthcare access and faces an estimated US$1 trillion healthcare bill by 2020.

“We can confirm the arrest of a British national, Peter Humphrey, in Shanghai on Monday the 19th of August. We are currently providing consular assistance,” British Embassy spokeswoman Hannah Oussedik said by phone.