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Published on Oct 7, 2016
한미약품 올리타정, 8월에 임상 이미 중단... 사망 3명
As Korean financial authorities look into a possible insider trading scandal involving Korea's Hanmi Pharmaceutical... the drug company was once again in the hotseat today along with the nation's health authorities.
As Korean financial authorities look into a possible insider trading scandal involving Korea's Hanmi Pharmaceutical... the drug company was once again in the hotseat today along with the nation's health authorities.
Oh Jung-hee has the details.
Lawmakers in the National Assembly Friday questioned whether Korea's leading drugmaker Hanmi Pharmaceutical deliberately concealed the side effects of its lung cancer drug,... and whether the health authorities are covering for the company.
Hanmi Pharmaceutical had alerted the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in early April... that all patients participating in clinical trials for the drug Olita had contracted a life-threatening skin condition.
In August, the company halted trials.
The Health and Welfare Committee pointed out that while the drug safety ministry had said last month that just three people had had such a reaction to the drug and just one person died... it turned out that in fact 3 people had died, and 29 suffered serious side effects.
The committee further questioned the drug safety ministry's decision to ease regulations on drugmakers and allow companies to fast-track new medicines with fewer clinical trials.
Lawmakers stressed the decision to loosen regulations was regrettable... and that it prioritizes the financial burdens of pharmaceutical companies over the people's health and safety.
But experts say... Olita does patients more good than harm,... being a drug especially for lung cancer patients who have a tolerance to other treatments. "These patients have no alternative to these drugs for an effective cure or to prolong their lives. The drugs are completely different from those that general cancer patients would take."
The controversy has deepened following a decision earlier this week by Korea's health authorities to keep the drug approved for sale... on the condition that patients are given full explanations about the possible side effects and agree to use it.
Oh Jung-hee, Arirang News.
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