Gyeonggi Province Uncovers 25 Companies Illegally Selling and Managing Veterinary Pharmaceuticals

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park No-hun] Companies violating the Pharmacists Act—such as selling expired veterinary pharmaceuticals or dispensing veterinary drugs based solely on animal owners' claims without providing treatment—have been massively uncovered by the Gyeonggi Special Judicial Police Unit.

The Gyeonggi Special Judicial Police Unit announced on the 23rd that from October 27 to November 2, it conducted investigations into illegal veterinary pharmaceutical distribution at a total of 90 facilities, including animal hospitals registered under the Veterinarians Act, veterinary pharmacies registered under the Pharmacists Act, and veterinary pharmaceutical wholesalers, and detected 32 cases of illegal conduct at 25 facilities.

Violations included ▲1 case of license lending ▲14 cases of selling expired veterinary pharmaceuticals or storing/displaying them for sales purposes ▲4 cases of selling veterinary pharmaceuticals without prescriptions or failing to prepare/retain prescriptions and transaction records ▲2 cases of selling veterinary pharmaceuticals without treating animals ▲5 cases of failing to prepare/maintain records of human pharmaceutical transactions ▲6 other cases.

Looking at major violation cases, 'A' veterinary pharmaceutical wholesaler located in Bucheon was caught operating by borrowing a pharmacist's license.

'B' animal hospital located in Icheon was confirmed to have sold veterinary pharmaceuticals to 'C' veterinary pharmaceutical wholesaler located in Yeoju.

Animal hospitals cannot sell veterinary pharmaceuticals to persons other than animal owners, and veterinary pharmaceutical wholesalers cannot purchase veterinary pharmaceuticals from animal hospitals that are not pharmaceutical suppliers.

This constitutes a violation of the Pharmacists Act.

'D' veterinary pharmaceutical wholesaler located in Yongin was caught storing veterinary pharmaceuticals with an expired validity period of 16 months in the facility's medicine display cabinet for sales purposes.

'E' animal hospital located in Yongin was caught prescribing or selling medication based solely on animal owners' statements without actually treating animals.
Under current regulations, consulting about animal symptoms with an animal's owner or caretaker without examining the animal is not considered "treatment" under the Veterinarians Act.

According to the Pharmacists Act, ▲selling veterinary pharmaceuticals with expired validity periods or storing/displaying them for sales purposes ▲animal hospital operators selling veterinary pharmaceuticals without treating animals ▲veterinary pharmaceutical wholesalers purchasing veterinary pharmaceuticals from persons who are not pharmaceutical suppliers are all subject to imprisonment of up to one year or fines of up to 10 million won.

Additionally, those who lend or borrow pharmacist licenses or those without qualifications to sell veterinary pharmaceuticals who do so are subject to imprisonment of up to five years or fines of up to 50 million won, respectively.

The Gyeonggi Special Judicial Police Unit plans to refer the implicated business operators to the prosecution following formal investigation.

Yoon Tae-wan, chief of the Gyeonggi Special Judicial Police Unit, stated, "We will continue to do our best to prevent illegal activities at all stages related to veterinary pharmaceuticals, including manufacturing, importing, selling, and management."