Dispute Over 'Botox Ingredient' Technology Leak Between Medytox and Daewoong Pharmaceutical... Prosecutors Dismiss Charges

Daewoong Pharmaceutical "Expecting a Fair Outcome in Civil Case"

Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office.

[Asia Economy Reporters Lee Gwan-ju and Lee Chun-hee] The five-year-long dispute over the technology leakage of the botulinum strain, the raw material for Botox injections, between Medytox and Daewoong Pharmaceutical has been concluded with a non-prosecution decision by the prosecution.

A Daewoong Pharmaceutical official said in a phone interview with Asia Economy on the 4th, "We believe the prosecution's non-prosecution decision is the correct outcome," adding, "There is still a civil lawsuit pending, and we expect a fair result."

He continued, "Since the prosecution concluded that it is difficult to see that manufacturing process information was leaked, we hope this will be reflected in the trial as well."

The Criminal Division 12 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Lee Deok-jin) announced on the same day that it had dismissed charges against Daewoong Pharmaceutical Corporation and its executives and employees, who were accused of violating the Act on the Prevention and Protection of Industrial Technology Leakage. For parts where the statute of limitations had expired, the prosecution was dismissed due to lack of prosecutorial rights.

Medytox filed a complaint with the prosecution in 2017, alleging that Daewoong Pharmaceutical stole the botulinum strain technology it developed and then announced it as if it had been developed independently in its own laboratory.

After raiding Daewoong Pharmaceutical's headquarters last year and conducting digital forensics and collecting testimonies from related employees, the prosecution concluded that there was no evidence to recognize that Medytox's proprietary botulinum strain or manufacturing process information had been leaked to Daewoong Pharmaceutical.

Medytox and Daewoong Pharmaceutical had previously engaged in litigation in the United States but reached a settlement in February last year. However, the prosecution investigation and civil trial in Korea continued. Medytox did not express any particular stance regarding this prosecution decision.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.