Ring of Illegal Prescription Drug Sales Including Glutathione Injections Busted

Ministry Diverts Prescription Drugs by Falsifying Returns and Distributes via SNS
Pharmacist Referred to Prosecution for Selling Without Prescription

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced on November 6 that it had referred Employee A of a pharmaceutical wholesale company and Pharmacist B to the prosecution on charges of violating the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act by illegally selling prescription drugs.

Schematic Diagram of Illegal Prescription Drug Sales. Ministry of Food and Drug Safety

The Ministry stated that, during an investigation into an unlicensed steroid distributor referred to the prosecution in July this year, it obtained additional information on the illegal sale of prescription drugs such as glutathione injections (detoxifying agents) and tamoxifen (anti-neoplastic agent), which are secretly used to mitigate side effects of unlicensed steroids, including liver damage and hormonal imbalance. The Ministry subsequently launched a new investigation.

The investigation revealed that, from April 2023 to March 2024, Employee A diverted 638 units of 44 types of prescription drugs, including glutathione injections, by falsely processing them as returned items to client hospitals, and purchased 108 units of 5 types of prescription drugs, including tamoxifen, from Pharmacist B. In total, Employee A sold 746 units of 49 types of prescription drugs, worth approximately 30 million won, to unlicensed steroid distributors and general buyers via social networking services (SNS).

During this process, Employee A exploited a personal relationship to approach Pharmacist B and, from March 2023 to February 2024, purchased 108 units of prescription drugs, including tamoxifen, worth approximately 3 million won, on eight occasions without a prescription.

Under the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act, individuals who are not licensed pharmacists are prohibited from selling pharmaceuticals, and even pharmacists are not allowed to sell prescription drugs without a valid prescription.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety stated, "The indiscriminate misuse and abuse of prescription drugs without a doctor's diagnosis can cause serious side effects such as arrhythmia and shock, so they must only be used with a prescription." The Ministry added, "We will actively crack down on illegal drug sales and impose strict penalties to protect public health and safety."

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