AstraZeneca staff quizzed by police in China GlaxoSmithKline is considering cutting prescription-linked commissions paid to its sales staff and reducing drug prices in China amid the fall-out from a growing corruption probe. Executives at the UK-based pharmaceutical group are exploring ways to apply changes to its commercial model already adopted in other countries, including the UK and the US, where it has overhauled its operations in response to past accusations of aggressive marketing. The moves are still under debate and unlikely to be finalised while it focuses on negotiations with the Chinese authorities over allegations that at least four of its top executives in the country were involved in bribery and tax manipulations over six years. But they were hinted at when Abbas Hussain, head of GSK's emerging markets business, admitted apparent wrongdoing among employees at a meeting with Chinese officials on Sunday. Mr Hussain discussed changes to the company's operational model leading to price reductions to ensure "our medicines are more affordable to Chinese patients." The moves come as Sir Andrew Witty, chief executive of GSK, is finalising remarks on the investigation ahead of unveiling second quarter results on Wednesday. He is expected to stress the company's efforts to co-operate fully with the investigation while emphasising its continued commitment to investment and expansion alongside improved access to treatments for the Chinese. As the Chinese probe into western drug companies" operations in the country continued, police questioned two more AstraZeneca employees in Shanghai, just days after they detained one of its sales representatives. The Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical company said the two individuals were line managers of the sales representative who were detained on Friday. Astra said one of the managers was continuing to help the Shanghai Public Security Bureau with its inquiries. The PSB is describing this as an individual case. We have no reason to believe it is related to other investigations," the company said. Separately, a US citizen was detained in Shanghai in connection with probes triggered by the scandal. The US embassy, which declined to say which company the individual was associated with, said it was providing all appropriate consular assistance. Local employees are also being drawn into the investigations. The official Xinhua news agency, citing a statement from the Health Ministry, said 39 employees at a hospital in southern Guangdong Province would be punished for taking illegal kickbacks totalling Rmb2.82m from two drugmakers between January 2010 and December 2012. It did not name the drugmakers. Chinese police last week alleged that GSK had transferred Rmb3bn to travel agencies and consultancies in order to facilitate bribes to doctors. Three European pharmaceutical companies - Sanofi, Roche and Novartis - had also used Shanghai Linjiang, the same travel agency as Glaxo, but said they stopped using it once the allegations of wrongdoing surfaced.