The first court judgment came against the heads of Invossa, an arthritis gene therapy product that had been removed from the market as it was revealed that an unauthorized ingredient was contained. The court admitted that the officers in charge had provided false data, but determined that the MFDS was more responsible for not being properly supervised.
This is reporter Ahn Hee-jae.
<기자>
Yesterday (19th), two defendants, including Kolon Life Science director Jo Mo, who was in charge of the development of Invossa, were tried on suspicion of submitting false data minus adverse clinical trial results to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.
The Seoul Central District Court admitted that they deliberately submitted false information to the Food and Drug Administration, but sentenced the two to acquittal, saying that this was not a particularly important part of the entire licensing process.
Rather, they pointed out that the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety lacked the will to faithfully screen.
[엄태섭/인보사 피해자 측 변호인 : 식약처가 충분히 내용에 대해서 면밀하게 검토했어야 함에도 불구하고 그러지 않은 점에 대해 (코오롱 측 무죄가 인정됐습니다.) 손해배상 책임을 묻는 데는 충분하다고 판단하고 있습니다.]
Cho was admitted to giving money in exchange for advice to a researcher at the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, and was sentenced to a fine of 5 million won.
In response to Kolon’s request to overturn the cancellation of Invossa’s license, saying that there is no abnormality in product safety, the Seoul Administrative Court did not accept it as “a serious defect that false information was written in the product license that directly affects life or health.”
Prosecutors and Kolon have said they will appeal the results of both trials.