Celltrion fined in South Korea over cancelled Covid-19 test kit orders

( October 29, 2026, 04:35 GMT | Official Statement) -- MLex Summary: South Korean biopharmaceutical company Celltrion has been fined 630 million won ($472,000) for unfair subcontracting practices involving the production of Covid-19 rapid diagnostic test kits, including the unilateral cancellation of orders for roughly 37.2 million kits. The Korea Fair Trade Commission said Thursday it found that Celltrion canceled the manufacturing orders in December 2022 despite the subcontractor bearing no responsibility for the termination. The company also failed to issue required written agreements when changing product specifications and, in a separate instance, provided contractual documents only after the subcontractor had begun production. The regulator imposed a corrective order to prevent recurrence, along with fines of 590 million won for the improper cancellations and 40 million won for the documentation violations.Statement is attached (in Korean)....

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