The bribery charge against GlaxoSmithKline appears to be deeper than anticipated, China's state news agency Xinhua reported. Although the media outlet did not drop any names, it said in a commentary published Wednesday that the government is trying to crack down on the misconducts practiced in the pharmaceutical industry.

In that regard, Xinhua  said, "it will not be surprising if more pharmaceutical companies and hospitals, domestic or international, are to be involved in probes in the days to come."

Citing just one example, over 1,000 doctors and medical staff in 73 medical facilities in Fujian's Zhangzhou city were found to be accepting bribes.

The report is confirmed by CCTV, the state-owned broadcaster, which reported that 9 in 10 doctors were implicated. Chinese investigators also seized about US $3.34 million (CNY 20.5 million) in bribe money following an investigation that ran for six months.

GlaxoSmithKline was tagged by China in channelling US $488.81 million into China, partly to bribe government officials and doctors.