Only by prescription in South Korea © 2009 F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd
Basel, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Swiss drug giant Roche confirmed Friday, 6 November, it was under investigation by the South Korean Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for illegally helping British bank HSBC and other companies in South Korea to acquire the drug tamiflu. The FDA raided the local offices of Roche 4 November and seized documents and computer files. It is illegal to purchase tamiflu in South Korea without a medical prescription.
South Korea recently raised its alert level to the highest in response to a surge in cases of A/H1N1 flu in the country. Many companies have been stocking up on the antivirus for their employees and families as part of their business continuity contingency plans.
Roche has sold 12.2 million doses of tamiflu to the government which provides them through pharmacies for a five-day course. The government plans to have enough to cover 20 percent of the population by year’s end.
Links to other sites: Bloomberg, Korea Times, Romandie News
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News story, GenevaLunch, 6 November 2009.
Filed under: Society
Tags: Basel, Health, HSBC, Roche, South Korea Food and drug administration, Tamiflu, World news