Three more western pharmaceutical companies have been drawn into widening Chinese probes into pricing and marketing practices in the drug industry, with Lundbeck and Novo Nordisk reporting recent inquiries from the authorities, and Sanofi investigating allegations made by a whistleblower.

As it issued strengthened earnings guidance alongside strong second-quarter results on Wednesday, Novo Nordisk, the Danish insulin producer, said it had received a visit at the start of this month from the Administration for Industry and Commerce at its production plant in Tianjin.

Jesper Brandgaard, chief financial officer, said the authorities had not accused the Danish group of any wrongdoing, nor visited its headquarters. “Whether this was a routine check or triggered by the case reported recently in the media is not completely clear to us,” he added.