AstraZeneca, which did not disclose whether or not Wang was currently in police custody, said he was "cooperating with an ongoing investigation".

The FTSE 100-listed group added that its China operations continued under the leadership of the current general manager of AstraZeneca China.

"If requested, AstraZeneca will fully cooperate with the investigation," added the group.

As of 1440 GMT, AstraZeneca shares were down 4.47% at 11,018.0p.

Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com