Endless Botox Dispute... Daewoong "Accuses Medytox" vs Medytox "Appeals to Prosecutors"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporters Chunhee Lee, Youngwon Kim] The dispute over the botulinum toxin strain technology leak between Daewoong Pharmaceutical and Medytox is expected to continue despite the prosecution's decision of no charges.

On the 8th, Daewoong Pharmaceutical stated, "It is clear that Nabota was developed using Daewoong Pharmaceutical's own strain and technology," and added, "We will hold Medytox legally responsible." Daewoong Pharmaceutical also said, "It has been clearly confirmed that Medytox submitted forged and false documents to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety during the litigation process," and "We will immediately report this to the relevant authorities."

In response, Medytox strongly opposed the prosecution's no-charge decision and Daewoong Pharmaceutical's actions, stating on the same day, "We will definitely reveal the truth through ongoing domestic civil and prosecution appeal procedures," increasing the likelihood of continued legal battles between the two sides.

Previously, Medytox accused Daewoong Pharmaceutical of stealing the botulinum toxin strain technology developed by Medytox in 2017 and announcing it as if it had been developed independently by Daewoong Pharmaceutical, filing a complaint with the prosecution. However, the 12th Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Deokjin Lee) dismissed the case on the 4th, citing lack of evidence to support the claim.

Daewoong Pharmaceutical, on the other hand, plans to counterattack, claiming that Medytox falsified or illegally obtained documents related to the technology leak. They argue that during Medytox's strain analysis process, documents related to strain manufacturing and characteristic reports were fabricated, and that approval was obtained by illegally acquiring and misusing Allergan's approval materials.

Meanwhile, Medytox strongly criticized the prosecution's investigation as a "hasty investigation made without sufficient review of materials and investigation," emphasizing, "The data investigated by the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) over two years contains evidence that Daewoong Pharmaceutical's claim of discovering the strain domestically is false." Furthermore, Medytox proposed a public debate related to this dispute as a solution.

Medytox and Daewoong Pharmaceutical have been engaged in a legal dispute over strain technology leaks for several years. In 2020, the ITC ruled that Daewoong Pharmaceutical infringed on Medytox's trade secrets regarding the botulinum strain manufacturing process and banned the import and sale of Juvista in the U.S. for 21 months. Both companies appealed this decision but reached a settlement in February last year. However, domestic prosecution investigations and civil trials have continued.

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