The European Union Chamber of Commerce in China said foreign drugmakers seemed to be unfairly targeted in the China bribery and price-fixing probe. Even if the foreign pharmaceutical companies had complied with the legal requirements, the European Union business group said Chinese authorities had singled out foreign firms in their investigations.

European Union Chamber of Commerce in China Chairman Bruno Gensburger told reporters that the firms under investigation had their own standard operating procedures (SOPs). These companies had also been very responsible in their practices in China. 

"What I feel is a little bit unfair is that the foreign companies which are most serious about SOPs have been the most investigated and the most discriminated. To my knowledge today, no Chinese company has been investigated," Gensburger added.

GlaxoSmithKline is the biggest foreign firm to be investigated by the Chinese police. The British drugmaker was accused by authorities of bribing doctors to increase the sale of its products.

Gensburger said, "We all want to work in a very clean environment. The question we ask today is if this campaign is aimed just to frighten some companies or create a special climate, I don't think it will solve anything."