Trump, Biden play role in Korean firms' botox war

Medytox won its botox war in the United States against Daewoong Pharmaceutical -- with some help from Donald Trump and Joe Biden.

On Dec. 16, the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) made a final determination in Medytox’s favor, saying Daewoong had ripped off its production process. Following its ruling, 60 days were given during which the U.S. president could veto its halting of imports of Daewoong’s Nabota botulinum toxin into the U.S. for 21 months.

“U.S. President Biden and former President Trump did not accept claims of Daewoong and its U.S. partner Evolus,” Medytox said in a Monday statement. “We anticipate the ITC ruling to provide momentum to ongoing lawsuits in and outside the country by confirming Daewoong is guilty.”

The two companies had been fighting since early 2019 over Medytox's claim that Daewoong stole its botulinum toxin strains and copied its manufacturing process. The two are among the country’s top three domestic botulinum toxin suppliers, with Medytox being the longest in the business.

Daewoong say it will appeal the ITC ruling, claiming the technology its rival argues to be its own was already widely known in the industry and academia. The company filed for an injunction against the import suspension order last week.

“Medytox continues to put out misleading statements regarding the ITC determinations,” Daewoong said in a statement Monday. “The ITC did not base its decision on clear proof and made a biased decision to protect the dominant market power of Allergan [Medytox’s U.S. partner].”

BY SONG KYOUNG-SON [song.kyoungson@joongang.co.kr]