Consumers lose lawsuit against drug firm for unfair practice in Korea

A Seoul court on Friday ruled against two consumers in a lawsuit against a drug manufacturer for alleged losses incurred from an illegal business practice that drives up costs for patients.
The pharmaceutical industry has long been criticized for the illegal practice of offering massive illegal kickbacks to doctors and hospitals, commonly known as "rebates."
   Ruling in favor of Korea MSD, the local unit of U.S. pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co., the Seoul Central District Court ruled that there is no concrete proof that such practices directly incurred losses to the consumers.