On Wednesday, February 11th, British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca confirmed that its former China region president, Leon Wang, has been officially indicted in Beijing. Wang was arrested and detained by the Chinese authorities in October 2024.
In a performance update released by AstraZeneca on Tuesday, February 10th, the company mentioned that in November 2025, a former executive vice president and a former senior employee were also indicted by the Chinese prosecution, but their names were not disclosed.
The Financial Times was the first to report that the former executive being charged is Wang, and the Chinese authorities have officially accused him of involvement in illegal trading, unauthorized collection of personal information, and medical insurance fraud.
Wang served as the highest-ranking executive in AstraZeneca’s China region for a decade. He led the localization strategy in China, including establishing an industry fund in cooperation with CITIC Capital, setting up a regional headquarters in Shanghai, and collaborating with local governments to build industrial parks. These initiatives broke new ground for foreign pharmaceutical companies in China and helped AstraZeneca expand its sales team and increase drug sales, especially in cancer medications.
AstraZeneca is a global pharmaceutical giant, with the Chinese market accounting for approximately 13% of the company’s total revenue.
AstraZeneca stated that the two former employees will face trial in a court in Shenzhen, but the date for the trial has not been confirmed yet.
The Chinese subsidiary of AstraZeneca has also been accused by the Chinese authorities of unauthorized collection of personal information and illegal trading. AstraZeneca mentioned that there is no evidence to suggest that the company has profited from the “illegally obtained gains” related to data collection. The group has not been charged with medical insurance fraud.
According to previous information, the illegal trading allegations are related to an investigation into the unauthorized import and sales of the anti-cancer drug Imjudo. This drug is used to treat advanced cancers, including liver cancer, and while it has been approved in other parts of the world (including Hong Kong), it has not yet been approved in mainland China.
In 2024, AstraZeneca stated that to resolve the investigation related to the import of its cancer treatment drugs Imfinzi, Imjudo, and Enhertu, the company paid a $3.5 million import tax to Chinese customs in October. The company also mentioned that they may still face fines of up to $17.5 million.
After Wang’s arrest, AstraZeneca appointed the senior executive Iskra Reic, who previously worked in Europe, to oversee the Shanghai office.