Kolon Life Science Director Denies Charges in First Trial Over 'Invossa Scandal'

On November 27 last year, two executives from Kolon Life Science, who participated in the development of the osteoarthritis gene therapy drug Invossa K Injection (Invossa), appeared at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu for a pre-arrest detention hearing (warrant review).
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin] A director of Kolon Life Science, who was indicted in connection with the gene therapy osteoarthritis treatment Invossa K Injection (Invossa) scandal, denied the charges at the first trial.

At the first hearing of the case against Cho, a director of Kolon Life Science, on charges including obstruction of official duties by deception, fraud under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes, and violation of the Subsidy Act, held on the 7th at the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 25 (Presiding Judges Lim Jeong-yeop, Kwon Seong-su, Kim Seon-hee), Cho's lawyer stated, "We deny all the charges and claim innocence."

Kim, the head of Kolon Bio New Drug Research Institute, who was also indicted for false advertising related to Invossa (violation of the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act), also denied all charges.

Cho, who oversaw clinical development at Kolon Life Science, is accused of submitting false data regarding the components of Invossa to obtain approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS), thereby obstructing the execution of MFDS's duties.

He is also accused of receiving 8.2 billion KRW in subsidies over three years after being selected as a government global advanced biopharmaceutical technology development project participant in October 2015 through false data, and of providing money and consulting opportunities to a former MFDS researcher to gain assistance in product approval tasks.

Cho's side had previously argued at the preparatory hearing that the prosecution's indictment was excessive and maintained a plea of not guilty.

Invossa, a gene therapy injection for osteoarthritis, was the first gene therapy approved by the MFDS in Korea in 2017, but it was revealed that the component included was not cartilage cells as stated in the approval documents but kidney cells that could cause tumors, leading to the final cancellation of its approval last year.

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