13 patients and hospitals face probe over repeated propofol use

Thirteen patients were referred for investigation for repeatedly obtaining propofol from multiple hospitals, with one receiving the drug 54 times from 13 hospitals in a single year.

Along with the 13 patients, 13 medical institutions were also referred for investigation following the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety's crackdown on suspected propofol misuse and abuse in July, the ministry said Wednesday.

The inspection was conducted jointly by the ministry’s special monitoring team for controlled drugs for medical use and local governments. It looked into 23 medical institutions that administered propofol to a single patient at least 13 times in 2025 — which exceeds standards intended to prevent drug misuse and abuse — and 26 patients who received the drug. Of those inspected, 50 percent of the patients and 57 percent of the medical institutions were referred for investigation.

Among the 13 patients, one visited 13 hospitals in 2025 for procedures such as skin brightening and hair removal. Through the visits, the patient repeatedly received propofol 54 times over the course of the year.

Under current standards, administering propofol more than once a month for simple procedures or diagnostic purposes is considered to exceed the standards intended to prevent misuse and abuse.

“We conducted an in-depth review of factors, including medical necessity, through a committee consisting of doctors, pharmacists and lawyers,” Chae Gyu-han, a senior official in charge of narcotics safety planning at the ministry, said at a briefing Wednesday. "We carefully considered whether cases warranted investigation when a majority of committee members determined that misuse or abuse had occurred."

The 13 patients referred for investigation visited an average of six medical institutions last year and received propofol an average of 29 times, the inspection found. Four of them received the drug between 31 and 55 times during the year.

Nine of the medical institutions they visited offered dermatology or plastic surgery services. Propofol was administered mostly for skin procedures such as skin brightening, fillers and hair removal or cosmetic surgery such as liposuction.

Cases of excessive prescribing were also found. One medical institution administered propofol to a single patient 36 times for skin-brightening procedures.

The ministry also asked local governments to take administrative action against 14 medical institutions within their jurisdictions for violating rules on handling controlled substances. Major violations included failing to report or delaying reports of changes in the handling of controlled substances, improperly maintaining medical records and discrepancies in drug inventories.

To prevent propofol misuse and excessive prescriptions, the ministry will introduce a system that allows doctors to check patients’ propofol administration histories starting Thursday.

Through the system, doctors will be able to check the administration records of patients who have visited multiple hospitals to obtain propofol to prevent excessive or duplicate prescriptions.

“We will analyze data on controlled drug administration records and strengthen oversight and supervision of medical institutions that prescribe and administer controlled drugs for medical use,” Food and Drug Safety Minister Oh Yu-kyoung said.

BY CHAE HYE-SEON [[email protected]]