[2023 National Audit] Most Pharmaceutical and Bio CEOs Absent... Representatives Attend Instead

Most CEOs of pharmaceutical, bio, and healthcare companies who were scheduled to appear as witnesses or reference persons at the National Assembly audit have sent representatives instead, resulting in their absence from the audit venue.

National Assembly Welfare Committee. The photo and article content are unrelated. [Photo by Yonhap News]

According to the National Assembly on the 11th, the Health and Welfare Committee resolved the "Withdrawal of Witness and Reference Person Attendance Requests and Additional Matters" ahead of the Ministry of Health and Welfare audit scheduled for the day. As a result, attendance requests for some CEOs of pharmaceutical and bio companies were withdrawn, and several executives appeared in their place. Initially, the audit of the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, scheduled from the 12th to the 13th, included Chairman Yoon Jae-hoon of AlphiBio, CEO Won Deok-kwon of Anguk Pharm, CEO Lee Dong-jin of Dongjin Pharm, and CEO Lee Sang-il of Korea Hutex Pharm as witnesses. Christopher Jystocks, CEO of Korea Lilly, was scheduled to appear as a reference person.

First, at Anguk Pharm, the attendance request for CEO Won Deok-kwon was withdrawn, and Legal Affairs Director (Executive Director) Lee Seung-han received the attendance request. CEO Won was listed as a witness for the Ministry of Health and Welfare audit amid allegations of illegal rebate provision. In place of CEO Lee Sang-il of Korea Hutex Pharm, who was requested to attend due to violations of Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards, President Kim Sung-gyeom of Korea Hutex Pharm was newly added to the witness list.

Chairman Yoon Jae-hoon of AlphiBio, who was requested to appear as a witness amid allegations of employee abuse and abuse of power, was also removed from the list. No additional attendance requests were made for AlphiBio. CEO Lee Dong-jin of Dongjin Pharm, who was requested to appear as a witness over exaggerated advertising of health functional foods and issues related to personal information marketing, also had the request withdrawn. Christopher Jystocks, CEO of Korea Lilly (Eli Lilly Korea), who was requested to appear as a reference person regarding the hair loss treatment drug ‘Olumiant’ and diphenylcyclopropenone (DPCP), was also removed from the list.

Additionally, other CEOs of digital healthcare companies who were scheduled to appear also did not show up at the audit venue. The attendance request for Jang Ji-ho, CEO of Dr. Now, who was listed as a reference person for inquiries related to non-face-to-face medical platforms, was withdrawn, and Director Jang Ji-ho of Dr. Now was added instead. Both the CEO and the director share the same name. Instead of Choi Soo-yeon, CEO of Naver, who was selected as a witness regarding the leakage of personal medical information through Naver, Executive Vice President Yoo Bong-seok of Naver received the attendance request.

Meanwhile, Kim So-hyang, CEO of Dalkomnara Alice, which operates the tanghulu specialty franchise ‘Wangga Tanghulu,’ also had her attendance request withdrawn. Instead, Executive Director Jeong Cheol-hoon is scheduled to appear at the audit. Tanghulu has recently gained popularity among younger generations, and Kim was selected as a witness to inquire about the issue of excessive sugar consumption among adolescents. Attendance requests for Hwang Do-yeon, CEO of Danggeun Market, and Choi Jae-hwa, CEO of Bungaejangter, who were included as reference persons regarding pharmaceutical management on secondhand trading platforms, were also withdrawn. Instead, Shin Ji-young, CEO of Danggeun Market’s Danggeun Service, and Choi Eun-kyung, CRO of Bungaejangter, are expected to appear as reference persons.

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