Media reported on Tuesday that the National Development and Reform Commission has launched an investigation into 60 drugmakers, including foreign companies and more than 10 listed domestic companies.

The foreign companies include Merck Sharp & Dohme, Sandoz and Glaxo-SmithKline. The listed domestic companies include Harbin-based Gloria Pharmaceuticals, Zhejiang Hisun Pharmaceuticals Co in Taizhou, and Chongqing-based Southwest Pharmaceuticals Co.

Thirty-three of the pharmaceutical makers were investigated for their products' factory prices, while 27 others, including GlaxoSmithKline and Jiangsu Hen Rui Medicine Co, were probed for their production costs.