November 28, 2024

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Hugel's manufacturing facility in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province (Hugel)

South Korean botulinum toxin manufacturers Hugel and Huons Biopharma announced Monday that the latest court ruling on a legal dispute between Medytox and Daewoong will not influence their botulinum toxin businesses, saying that their botulinum toxin strains would not face patent issues with Medytox.

Hugel and Huons Biopharma are South Korean firms selling botulinum toxin products under the brand names Letybo and Liztox, respectively.

The two companies’ announcements came after the Seoul Central District Court on Friday ruled in favor of Medytox in the lawsuit filed by Medytox against Daewoong. The court saw that Daewoong appropriated Medytox's botulinum toxin strains and techniques used in the manufacturing process.

The court ordered Daewoong to pay compensation of 40 billion won ($31.3 million) and turn over its botulinum toxin strains to Medytox. The court also ordered Daewoong to stop its production of the botulinum toxin product Nabota.

After the court’s ruling, Medytox said the company would seek additional legal measures against other companies that had allegedly appropriated its botulinum toxin strains and technologies involved in the manufacturing process.

It was rumored that the local court ruling could potentially influence the alleged trade secret theft case between Medytox and Hugel in the US.

In March last year, Medytox accused Hugel of stealing its strains and manufacturing processes, filing a complaint with the US International Trade Commission against Hugel and related companies. The ITC accepted Medytox's complaint in May, and could announce a preliminary ruling in November this year.

“The latest court ruling will not interfere with the ongoing dispute with Medytox in the US,” Hugel said. “It will become clear that there is no problem in Hugel’s development and production of its botulinum toxin product.”

Hugel stressed that the company has been credited in the global market for its independent 20-year history of research and development.

Hugel is currently the largest botulinum toxin manufacturer in South Korea. In 2020, Hugel became the first South Korean firm to ship a botulinum toxin product to China. It plans to enter the US market this year.

Meanwhile, Huons Biopharma has also clarified that the company’s botulinum toxin strains are different from those of Medytox. It added that its botulinum toxin strains’ genetic and biochemical properties are significantly different from the strains developed by other firms.

Huons Biopharma said it previously submitted relevant data to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, which also confirmed the difference between its strains and those developed by others.

By Shim Woo-hyun (ws@heraldcorp.com)