Following reports of an ex-AstraZeneca executive being detained in China, the company acknowledged that its current president in the country, Leon Wang, "is cooperating with an ongoing investigation."
In a brief announcement, AZ said that its China operations are continuing under its general manager in the country. Michael Lai, M.D., holds that post, according to his LinkedIn profile.
AZ itself will cooperate with the investigation if requested, the company said in the Wednesday notice.
Besides serving as AZ's president in China, Wang holds the title of AZ's executive vice president of international markets. In this post, he's responsible for "overall strategy driving sustainable growth" in international markets, including China, according to his bio on AZ's website.
Wang joined AZ China in March of 2013 and became the unit's president the following year. The executive has helped AZ realize significant growth in China over the last decade, with China now representing AZ's second-largest market worldwide. AZ is the "largest pharmaceutical company in China," according to its website.
Before joining AZ, Wang served in several roles at Roche, according to the biography.
The development surrounding Wang comes quickly on the heels of a report that BeiGene executive Eva Yin had been detained by anti-smuggling authorities in Shenzhen. Before joining BeiGene, Yin spent 15 years with AstraZeneca, including as head of its oncology business in China for part of that time.
Several AZ employees were detained along with Yin, according to a report last week from The Economic Observer.