[SEOUL=Health/Medical News] A civic organization is preparing lawsuit over major items of pharmaceutical companies including Daewoong Pharm. The action is based on the judgment that rebates offered to doctors have caused bubble in drug price, harming patients.
The organization, Consumers's Group for Watching Medicine Rebate, has announced that it will file a restitution lawsuit over Daewoong Pharm's antifungal drug, 'Plunazole' and GSK Korea's antiemeticum, 'Zofran' on coming 28 Jan and decided to a consecutive lawsuit over one picked item among hypertension, hyperlipidemia and diabetes drugs.
The group, comprising Consumer Citizen Gathering and Consumers's Group for Watching Medicine Rebate, held a campaign, distributing leaflets, in front of Seoul National University Hospital 15 Jan to gather would-be plaintiffs.
The leaflet shows the size of illegal rebates by 32 pharm companies exposed by Fair Trade Commission, types of rebate, status of rebate practice, regulation, the meaning of restitution lawsuit, plaintiff gathering, and foreign cases concerned.
Ahn Gi-jong, President of Korean Organization for Patient Group, is quoted as saying "The lawsuit is not a mere event. We aim to win. Starting with Zofran and Plunazole, we are going to pick one drug among hypertension, hyperlipidemia and diabetes drugs and file another lawsuit. One of the ten most-prescribed drugs will be chosen."
The group is known to mull over frequently-prescribed drugs such as Lipitor, Norvasc, Diovan and Januvia. The group judged that since rebate practice is rampant in the industry, the products with more prescription cause more rebate practices.
Prior to this action today, the group is starting a claim for damages over Zofran and Plunazole 28 Jan. Zofran generated a social issue for the agreement on retroactive payment and Plunazole was sentenced to imposition disposition of penalty surcharge by Fair trade Commission for Post-marketing Surveillance violating Pharmaceutical Affairs Law. The number of paintiffs collected as of now is five for Zofran, three for Plunazole.
President Ahn said, "Through reviewing Fair Trade Commission's findings, we saw the high chances of winning for Zofran. The Commision judged that Zofran's price include 15% of rebate. If extended to medical institutions nationwide and calculation is done for patient-paid cost, the total amount for lawsuit can be gained. "
The group is planning to stage boycott against the drug companies exposed to rebate practice three times. In case of Donga Pharm, under another suspicion of rebate following retroactive payment agreement suspicion, the group is to boycott the products if one more exposition is made by Prosecuter's Office.
President Ahn said, "If Donga Pharm is exposed again, we will considering staging boycott againt 'Bacchus', its major product, which is familiar with general consumers as a sign of warning to rebate practice."
-대한민국 의학전문지 헬스코리아뉴스-