Handok held a ceremony on April 16 to celebrate obtaining ISO 37001, certifying its anti-bribery management system. The latest certificate on the quality of Handok’s management is expected to strengthen the company’s anti-bribery efforts across all areas, including management, marketing, sales, R&D, and production. With it, Handok also became the first Korean pharmaceutical company to obtain all management standard certificates issued by the British Standards Institution (BSI).

Handok’s ISO 37001 certificate was issued after the BSI, accredited by the ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board (ANAB), reviewed and assessed the company’s anti-bribery efforts. The BSI was the world’s first standards organization, established in 1901 and has led creation of the International Standard Organisation (ISO), development of over 37,000 international standards, and creation of BS 10500, the British anti-bribery management standard that forms the basis for ISO 37001.

ISO 37001 is the international anti-bribery standard recognized by the ISO. Only applicants that pass rigorous scrutiny of their commitment to fighting corruption, to leadership, to controlling bribery risks and to engagement in continual action towards improvement are issued this certificate. With it, Handok has been recognized on the global stage for its world-class anti-bribery management system, and a commitment to ethical management informing the daily practices of all executives and employees.

Handok has been leading the Korean pharmaceutical industry in ethical management through proactive adoption of the rules for fair trade. Having declared its commitment to ethical management in the early 2000s, the company introduced its fair trade program in 2007. It also appointed its CEO as the Compliance Officer and set up a whole compliance organization in 2014 to ensure systemic enforcement of ethical management principles.