Novartis says bribe allegations in Turkey groundless, matter closed

Swiss drugmaker Novartis said it was not under investigation over bribery allegations in Turkey and that it considered the matter closed.

"Based on thorough internal and external counsel investigations we have concluded that all recent publicly and anonymously reported allegations relating to Novartis Turkey are unsubstantiated. We are not aware of any government authority investigating Novartis. We now consider this matter closed," it said in an emailed statement.

The Ankara chief prosecutor's office had said in April it was investigating the Turkish unit of Novartis after allegations were made that the company benefited from bribery.

Novartis acknowledged on Thursday that six current or former employees in South Korea gave kickbacks to doctors including paying for their travel abroad.