Victims of Cold Medicine Going for Class Action

A controversy surrounding sales on cold medicines containing phenylpropanolamine (PPA), which may cause strokes and other health problems, has now become not only a domestic lawsuit but also an international one.

A law firm, Daeryuk, (co-CEO Ham Seung-hui), on August 9, announced its decision to file a lawsuit against international pharmaceutical companies including GlaxoSmithKline Inc. with a U.S. court, representing three patients including a woman in her 30s and a man in his 40s who had taken cold medicine and dietary supplements containing PPA.

Daeryuk also planned to file a lawsuit against local pharmaceutical companies, including Yuhan Corporation and the Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA), with a local court as early as August 10. Mr. Ham added, “In addition to the plaintiffs who brought the case to us, more consumers and sufferers have shown interest in this lawsuit. Thus, the number of plaintiffs is expected to rise.”

Attorney Seo Gwon-sik (New York, U.S.A), who is preparing for the international lawsuit, said, “U.S.-based international pharmaceutical companies, which had stopped producing cold medicines containing PPA, are affiliated with local companies, having taken loyalties from them, and have mass-produced the medicines.” He added, “Therefore, local sufferers would be able to file a direct lawsuit against the American companies in the United States.”

He said he would claim “punitive damages” as well as actual damages.

The law firm’s international litigation team also filed an international lawsuit against the U.S. government concerning Guam Korean Air Flight 801 crash in 1997, receiving between $1 million and $6 million (total settlement fee: $37 million for nine people) per victim from Washington in May 2000.

Soo-Hyung Lee sooh@donga.com