NatureCell announced in a regulatory filing on the 31st that the defendant, the Commissioner of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS), has filed an appeal against the first-instance ruling regarding the lawsuit to cancel the dismissal of the JointStem product license.

This lawsuit was filed by RNL Life Science Research Institute (formerly RNL Bio) against the MFDS, seeking the cancellation of the dismissal of its application for a product license to manufacture and sell a pharmaceutical product.

The Seoul Administrative Court delivered a ruling in favor of the plaintiff on July 9. The court ordered the cancellation of the MFDS decision to deny the JointStem product license issued on August 5, 2025, and ruled that the defendant should bear the litigation costs.

The MFDS filed an appeal on July 30, 2026, requesting the cancellation of the first-instance ruling, the dismissal of the plaintiff's claims, and that the plaintiff bear the litigation costs for both the first and second instances.

The company stated, "The first-instance ruling confirmed the substantive and procedural illegality of the MFDS based on clear legal grounds. We consider this appeal unjust and plan to respond by appointing a law firm together with the plaintiff to ensure that the defendant's illegal acts are reaffirmed and the appeal is swiftly dismissed." It added that future developments will be disclosed via additional regulatory filings as they are confirmed.