'Collusion in Government-Ordered Vaccine Bidding Process'...Prosecutors Indict Pharmaceutical Companies and Executives

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[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jihwan] The prosecution has sent executives and employees of pharmaceutical and distribution companies accused of collusion during the National Immunization Program (NIP) bidding process to trial.

According to the legal community on the 21st, the Fair Trade Investigation Division of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office indicted seven corporate entities, including Green Cross, Boryung Biopharma, SK Discovery, and Yuhan Corporation, along with eight executives and employees last month without detention on charges of violating the Monopoly Regulation and Fair Trade Act and bid rigging.

They are accused of making excessive profits through collusion while participating in bids for cervical cancer vaccines and other products ordered by the government in the past.

The prosecution has been investigating the bid-rigging case surrounding the NIP since August last year. By January of this year, seven people, including three representatives of pharmaceutical wholesalers and four representatives and employees of vaccine pharmaceutical companies, were indicted in custody, bringing the total number of companies and related personnel sent to trial to ten.

Based on the complaints from the Fair Trade Commission and other related government agencies, as well as the investigation at the time, the prosecution launched a follow-up investigation and uncovered additional collusion.