Israeli pharmaceutical company Teva Pharmaceutical Industries is investigating claims by an anonymous tipster that the company bribed state healthcare workers in Romania to get them to prescribe its medication, a Teva spokeswoman said, reports Reuters.

She confirmed the internal investigation was ongoing, but declined to comment on the allegations.

Teva launched the probe in 2015 after an anonymous tipster accused the company of paying Romanian doctors speaking and consulting fees and covering their international travel expenses. In exchange, the providers recommended Teva's multiple sclerosis drug Copaxone “to as many patients as possible,” the tipster wrote in a 2015 email sent to Teva's chief executive and audit committee, which was reviewed by Reuters.

The U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act makes it a crime to bribe foreign government officials to win business regardless of whether the payments are made directly or through other means such as extravagant entertainment or footing the bill for international travel.

Teva is traded on the New York Stock Exchange and also has U.S. subsidiaries. The company is currently preparing to settle U.S. government investigations into alleged bribery in several other countries.

editor@romania-insider.com