China formally charged AstraZeneca’s former head of its China business Leon Wang more than a year after his detention in connection with investigations into the company’s operations in the country.

AstraZeneca confirmed that Wang had been indicted, a day after disclosing that Chinese prosecutors had charged a former executive vice president and a former senior employee in November without naming them, according to Reuters. The company later confirmed that the executive referenced was Wang.

What are the charges against Leon Wang?

According to AstraZeneca, the two former employees were charged with “unlawful collection of personal information, illegal trade, and medical insurance fraud.” They are expected to stand trial in a court in Shenzhen, although a date has not been set.

The charges relate to illegal trading stem from a probe into the alleged unauthorized importation and the sale of the cancer drug Imjudo, which is approved in other markets but not in China.¹ Separately, Chinese authorities have investigated the importation of other oncology medicines, including Imfinzi and Enhertu.

Who was charged by China?

AstraZeneca’s China subsidiary was also charged with unlawful collection of personal information and illegal trading.¹ However, the company said there was no allegation that it had benefited from any “illegal gain” linked to the data collection, and it was not charged with medical insurance fraud.

Wang, who led AstraZeneca’s China operations for roughly a decade, was detained back in 2024, with his arrest triggering a sharp sell-off in AstraZeneca shares at the time, amid broader investigations by Chinese authorities into company executives and alleged medical insurance fraud and drug importation practices.¹

As head of the China business, Wang had spearheaded a localization strategy that expanded sales teams and helped drive growth, particularly in oncology. His indictment marks a significant development in a case that has tested AstraZeneca’s operations and governance in one of its most critical growth markets.

The company has since taken steps to stabilize its local operations and leadership, as in December 2024, AstraZeneca appointed a new international executive vice president to replace Wang and later installed long-standing executive Iskra Reic to oversee the Shanghai office.¹

How does the legal action affect AstraZeneca?

In November, AstraZeneca said it had prepaid approximately $3.5 million in import taxes to Chinese customs authorities to address part of the investigation, though it cautioned that it could still face additional fines of up to $17.5 million.¹

Despite the legal overhang, AstraZeneca’s shares have recovered from their post-detention decline, supported by strong financial results and investor confidence that the long-term impact of the probes may be limited.²

Sources

1. China charges former AstraZeneca regional head Leon Wang. Reuters. February 11, 2026. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-charges-former-astrazeneca-executive-leon-wang-2026-02-11/
2. AstraZeneca Full Year Reports 2025. AstraZeneca. February 10, 2026. https://www.astrazeneca.com/content/dam/az/PDF/2025/Q4-FY/Full-year-Q4-2025-results-announcement.pdf