Two doctors sent for trial over illegal drug use and patient filming

Two doctors in Seoul have been apprehended by police for allegedly operating an illegal scheme involving the illicit administration of medical narcotics and illicit filming of patients. The doctors are accused of administering controlled substances like propofol to patients under the guise of cosmetic procedures, defrauding them of approximately 450 million won (US$325,000).

One of the doctors, a man in his 40s identified as 'A', faces additional charges of indecent assault and illegally filming patients. Authorities allege that between November 2021 and November 2023, 'A' administered narcotics to seven patients seeking sedation for cosmetic treatments on 71 occasions, charging them 40 million won. During this period, he also allegedly filmed patients 27 times while they were under anesthesia, reportedly using private rooms to avoid detection by nurses.

His business partner, a doctor in his 50s identified as 'B', is accused of similar offenses. From July 2022 to June 2023, 'B' allegedly administered propofol, ketamine, midazolam, and remimazolam to eight patients across 111 instances, earning 417 million won. Both doctors are also suspected of violating medical laws by failing to maintain proper medical records and neglecting their duty to report the handling of narcotics.

The investigation revealed that the doctors exploited medical-grade narcotics for profit, often administering them outside of standard medical procedures and charging exorbitant fees, reportedly 31.7 times the drug's cost per dose. To prolong patient sedation and evade monitoring systems, they also combined regulated narcotics with non-regulated anesthetic agents, including dexmedetomidine. This marks the first known case of dexmedetomidine, similar to the animal anesthetic medetomidine, being misused as a substitute for narcotics. Police have requested the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety to expedite the review and potential classification of dexmedetomidine as a controlled substance to prevent further abuse.

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The police requested the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety to promptly review and designate the drug (dexmedetomidine) as a narcotic, urging proactive regulatory review by relevant authorities to prevent a repeat of past cases where similar drugs were only designated as narcotics after causing social problems.