Botox sold out of the box... 'how?' When asked, "I take it at the hospital"

<Anchor>

Botox, designated as a prescription drug, is being sold in offices in downtown Seoul, not in hospitals.

When our reporters went and checked it, it was piled up in a box and even advertised that they were selling Botox secretly.

It is of course illegal to sell like this without using it for patient treatment, so we checked where they got Botox and sold it to whom.

This is Jang Hoon-kyung.

<Reporter> In

front of an office in Songpa-gu, Seoul.

White iceboxes are piled up.

It is Botox of H Company, the number one market share in Korea.

Why is Botox in a place that is not even a hospital or medical wholesaler?

As a result of the confirmation, the office operator was Mr. A, a Chinese.

[Industry officials: There are Chinese villagers.

Mainly in that village...

There are now about 100 to 200 nationwide, and there are about six (Chinese) who

are doing the enlargement

now.]

Actually, they use a slang word meaning Korean Botox in Chinese messengers such as WeChat

and say

, "We have all the products we want. “, “It is cheaper to get it directly from Korea,” he promoted.

A Chinese seller who promotes selling genuine Botox on his personal profile has indicated his intent to purchase.

When asked if I can get it in Korea, he tells me to come to Daerim-dong, Seoul.

I went there myself.

The signboard is a currency exchange office and a logistics company, and Korean Botox is stacked in boxes at the entrance and in the office.

There is no hesitation to sell.

[Illegal distributors of Botox: ((Company H Botox) 300 and (D Pharmaceutical Botox) 200 (I came to get it.)) The one on the desk, three boxes (take it.)]

Compared to the factory price of the pharmaceutical company, H company's product Each silver is 7,500 won, and D's products are more expensive than 6,000 won, but the company easily earned about 3.5 million won.

There are only three places that can handle Botox: pharmaceutical companies, pharmaceutical wholesalers, and hospitals used directly for patients. How did Chinese people, not wholesalers or doctors, find Botox?

When I asked the sellers, they confessed that they would take an appointment at the hospital.

Industry officials also pointed to domestic hospitals as a hotbed for illegal distribution.

[Industry officials: When it comes to Gangnam alone, there are almost 10 or more.

If you combine hospitals that take out (botox) up to a small amount, it is usually reported from 100 to 150 (nationally).] When

I check the drug serial number and ask the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the same answer comes back.

[Ministry of Health and Welfare Official: It is said that the pharmaceutical company went straight to the hospital.

It is not possible to confirm how the medical institution used it.] Not only

unqualified Chinese compatriots, but also hospitals selling Botox without using it for patient treatments violates the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act, and if caught, they will be sentenced to imprisonment for up to 5 years or a fine of up to 20 million won. .

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<Anchor>

[Jang, Hoon-Kyung/Reporter: This is because this is a non-payment item that is not basically covered by medical insurance. In the case of prescription drugs, the entire process from production, warehousing, and delivery by pharmaceutical companies and pharmaceutical wholesalers are recorded in the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service. .

However, only this hospital cannot record where, how, and how much after receiving Botox.

By exploiting this point, the hospital is making money by selling Botox to Chinese people illegally, instead of using it for patient treatment.]

[Jang Hoon-kyung/Reporter: It seems that such an illegal distribution network has already been established in a large part, just as our reporters actually made a purchase in Daerim-dong, Seoul.

The problem is that no one knows how much they have withdrawn and how much of them go to China and how much is released to Korea.

In fact, there are cases where non-medical people are caught by the police while performing illegal Botox treatments in beauty salons or business trip massages, etc.In this process, damage such as medical accidents or side effects after the procedure can occur.

In the end, the biggest problem is that hospitals sell Botox illegally to Chinese people, so I interviewed these hospitals.]

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<Reporter>

I asked a plastic surgeon in Gangnam, Seoul if they could get Botox for sale in China.

At first, he pretended not to know that he was conscious of illegality, and then

[Director of Gangnam Plastic Surgery Clinic A: Botox?

What does that mean?

No, I'm not doing that...

]

The name of an illegal Chinese distributor changes the word.

[Director A, Gangnam Plastic Surgery Clinic: How much do you want?

Do it at the right level, well.

If you don't anyway, it gets complicated again. Anything happens.]

I called another Gangnam Plastic Surgery Clinic and asked to see you right away.

[Director B of Gangnam Plastic Surgery Clinic: Is it sending to China?

I will see you at 4:30 tomorrow.] I

went to the hospital.

[Director B, Gangnam Plastic Surgery Clinic: Which of Botox are you talking about?

Wow good.

It means even tens of thousands of them.] The

director had

even

called a former pharmaceutical company representative in advance.

[Director B of Gangnam Plastic Surgery Clinic: You can completely associate with me, think and talk with one body.

I thought there would be a lot of stock, so I called him a little.

Representative X!] The

hospital director said, "We will also trade fillers, a medical device used for cosmetic procedures," saying that Botox for 25,000 won for a delivery price of 25,000 won, and 20,000 for fillers with a delivery price of 14,000 won. I propose to buy 6,000 pieces for 2,500 won.

[Director B, Gangnam Plastic Surgery Clinic: Wow, the amount is huge.

(Filler) 135 million won.

Botox is 75 million won.

Wow, the amount is big.] It

's like taking a profit of 63 million won without spending a penny of your own money.

[Director of Gangnam Plastic Surgery Clinic B: Can I get Botox in cash?]

[Attendant Seok-han, former pharmaceutical company representative: It is good to each other, if they get caught later, each other dies.]

Industry officials believe that Botox illegally stolen by hospitals will reach 200,000 bottles per month Estimate.

Hospitals receive over 20% of the money and hand it over to illegal Chinese distributors, who also make a profit of 20% to sell Botox.

[Industrial officials: (Hospital) If the director is willing, (monthly) 5,000 bottles are possible, so the profit for the hospital and Chinese people is estimated to be about 800 million won each (monthly).]

[Kim Yong-beom/medical lawyer: smuggling export. It can be interpreted as a helper of sin.

It is very (serious) that medical personnel who need to think about the health of the patient were involved (in the illegal distribution of toxic substances)]

Recently, hospitals that have added pharmaceutical exports or trade to their business registration to participate in the illegal distribution in earnest Is also increasing.

[Ministry of Health and Welfare officials: (hospitals are not allowed to export medicines).

If you sell the drug to a third party for a purpose other than to treat the patient without selling it to the patient, this is a violation in itself.]

Specialty drugs that are illegally distributed by exploiting the loophole of non-payment that it is difficult to trace.

Along with the fact-finding investigation by the health authorities, it is expected that a speculum investigation will be inevitable.

(Video editing: Jihye So, VJ: Junyoung Lee)