Last checked at 
LONDON, Sept 23 (Reuters) - GlaxoSmithKline's salesin China may have dropped 30 percent since authorities accusedit of corruption, disrupting its ability to market medicines inthe country, according to analyst estimates.
Citigroup said initial feedback following the accusationsagainst GSK and investigations into other firms suggested thatsales of some multinational drug companies were down as much as30 percent or more in volume terms since June.
Industry insiders told Reuters last week that GSK, which isat the centre of the furore, had suffered more damage than itspeers as many Chinese hospital doctors refuse to see sales staffand promotional activities are curtailed.
GSK has said some of its senior Chinese executives appearedto have broken the law after police accused it of funnelling upto 3 billion yuan ($490 million) to travel agencies tofacilitate bribes to doctors to boost sales of its medicines.
Britain's biggest drugmaker has declined to detail theimpact of the scandal on its business but a spokesman said thecompany was seeing "some impact" as a result of the ongoingChinese investigations.
GSK generated a modest 3.6 percent of its global drug salesin China last year but sees the country as an important sourceof future revenue.
Citigroup said in a research note dated Sept. 17 thatmultinational drugmakers might need to review current salesmodels, which rely heavily on expanding large sales forces, andcould face pricing pressure on their off-patent drugs.
