According to this week's Bloomberg Businessweek (October 11, 2010), US officials are investigating whether a number of drug manufacturers including Merck, Bristol-Myers Squibb, AstraZeneca, Baxter, and GlaxoSmithKline, paid bribes to regulators and government-employed doctors to facilitate approval of the companies' pharmaceuticals.  This action follows government settlements with a number of drug makers over improper marketing, including off-label use, of popular medications.  The investigation is said to include activities in Brazil, China, Germany, Italy, Poland, Russia, and Saudi Arabia.