Eli Lilly's obesity treatment 'Munzar' (ingredient name tirzepatide) is set to launch in Korea next month, drawing interest in the pharmaceutical company that will handle domestic sales. Although Munzar was released later than Denmark-based Novo Nordisk's 'Wegovy' (semaglutide), it has proven to have a more powerful weight loss effect and has already taken the lead in the U.S. market. As it is expected to become a 'golden goose' if it is distributed domestically, each pharmaceutical company is reportedly making their own appeals by showcasing their strengths.
According to industry sources on the 24th, Korea Lilly has initiated strategies to secure stable supply and establish an efficient sales network ahead of the domestic launch of Munzar, a type 2 diabetes and obesity treatment, in mid-August. Given that Wegovy experienced supply disruptions during its initial launch last year, the industry is focusing on which partner Lilly will collaborate with for sales.
Like Wegovy, Munzar is a drug that mimics the glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-1 hormone. Developed to promote insulin secretion for blood sugar control as a diabetes treatment, its weight loss effects led to its development as an obesity medication. In the U.S., Munzar was released under a separate product name 'Zepbound' for obesity treatment, but in Korea, the product name has been unified as Munzar.
The pharmaceutical industry believes that Lilly is likely to partner with a company experienced in distributing metabolic disease treatments to secure stable supply and an efficient sales network.
Currently, the most likely co-marketing partner is Boryung. Boryung handled the domestic co-marketing and distribution of Lilly's GLP-1 diabetes treatment 'Trulicity' (dulaglutide) from 2016 to 2024. The company also holds domestic rights for Lilly's cancer drugs 'Gemzar' (gemcitabine) and 'Alimta' (pemetrexed), among other major items.
Hanmi Pharmaceutical and Chong Kun Dang are also being mentioned. Hanmi Pharmaceutical is conducting phase 3 clinical trials for a GLP-1 triple-action obesity treatment following its metabolic disease treatment 'Rosuzet'. Chong Kun Dang is responsible for the co-marketing and distribution of the obesity treatment 'Qsymia' from U.S. company Albajzen.
However, there is also a possibility that Lilly might take on direct sales and marketing. Lilly has not renewed its Trulicity contract with Boryung at the end of last year and has been distributing the product directly through Korea Lilly this year. Consequently, both direct sales and co-marketing forms for Munzar are being discussed.
A Korea Lilly official noted, "Initially, we plan to strengthen our internal marketing and sales staff to start direct sales, and there has not been a decision yet on joint sales with domestic pharmaceutical companies."
If it proceeds as joint sales, it is expected that marketing will be managed by Lilly while medical institution sales will be handled by domestic pharmaceutical companies. The company indicated that it would not enter into exclusive contracts with specific wholesalers for distribution, but would focus on existing contracted distribution companies.
Since Swiss-based pharmaceutical company Julphar is responsible for Munzar's distribution in Thailand, Julphar Korea may also be in charge of domestic distribution of Munzar. Julphar Korea currently holds the domestic distribution rights for Wegovy.
Lilly is reviewing various measures to prevent supply chaos immediately after the launch of Munzar. When Wegovy was released in Korea last October, there was an explosion of orders from hospitals and pharmacies, leading to signs of scarcity and confusion on-site. Concerns are emerging that another shortage crisis could occur, as studies indicate Munzar may have better weight loss effects and improvements in obesity-related complications than Wegovy.
Munzar's global market share is also rapidly increasing. Munzar's global sales in the first quarter of this year were approximately 3.16 trillion won, nearly catching up to Wegovy's sales (3.6 trillion won) during the same period. In the U.S. market, since December of last year, the share gap between the two drugs has reportedly exceeded 7%.
Securing supply is also a crucial variable. Lilly has received approval for the prefilled pen formulation for its single-use injection in Korea, but it has determined that a single product will not be sufficient to meet demand and plans to introduce vial (glass bottle) and quick-pen (self-injecting pen) formulations to manage supply.
Lilly applied to the Korean Food and Drug Administration last year for the vial, which is used by extracting the drug with a syringe, and the quick-pen formulation, which allows a month's worth of medication to be administered in four doses.
Munzar is sold in 48 countries worldwide, including the U.S., Japan, China, Australia, Europe, and Thailand, but its entry into Korea has been delayed. Regulatory delays in formulation approval are cited as the main reason.
A Korea Lilly official stated, "The demand for prefilled pens in countries where it has already been launched has surged to a level where manufacturing facilities must be fully operational just to meet demand," adding, "To prevent a domestic shortage, we plan to launch the prefilled pen first and then gradually expand to the quick-pen and vial formulations."