December 22, 2024

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Daewoong Pharmaceutical on Oct. 7 denied allegations by Medytox that it stole manufacturing secrets, including its Hall A Hyper strain, to develop its botulinum toxin Nabota.

“Medytox is saying that its Hall A Hyper strain, which was proven to not form spores by multiple professionals for decades, can suddenly form spores (like Nabota’s strain). This is not convincing,” a Daewoong official said in a statement. Botulinum spores form a sort of protection layer which to keep the bacteria safe from its environment, and not all strains can form them.

The statement came out after a local news outlet reported that Medytox handed in files about new findings about its strain, which contradict its existing results filed with the International Trade Commission. According to the report, the finding included its test result that Hall A Hyper strain can form spores, when it is experimented with under the same conditions that Daewoong used.

Daewoong also refuted this argument on Oct. 7, saying that its experiments were not done in any special and exceptional way and Medytox knew details of how it conducted experiments with its strains since May 2018, when details were handed in to the court and agreed on.

Medytox originally has been arguing that Daewoong’s strain cannot possibly form spores, as it was stolen from their own, which does not form such protection on its own. As Medytox has been saying that this is more evidence that shows Daewoong stole its manufacturing secrets, its spores have been considered as one of the key factors for the controversy that has been going on between the two companies.

Back in August, however, Daewoong announced that it had conducted an experiment with foreign and local professionals and found out that its strains can form spores. At the time, industry sources noted that this result could help Daewoong to win the ongoing lawsuit, which Medytox filed to International Trade Commission in Washington to stop Nabota imports in 2018.

A civil suit in Korea between Daewoong and over the same issue is on-going, with a ruling expected this year.

By Song Seung-hyun (ssh@heraldcorp.com)