Novartis has said the allegations against it were "unfounded" and based on a past complaint. Reuters reported this week that an anonymous whistleblower accused the company of paying bribes through a consulting firm to secure an estimated $85 million in business advantages.

Turkey's health ministry has opened a separate investigation into the allegations. A senior ministry official told reporters on Friday that no problems have been seen in that initial investigation.

(Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk; Writing by David Dolan; Editing by Nick Tattersall)