High-dose products of mounjaro (ingredient name tirzepatide), Eli Lilly's obesity treatment, will be supplied to the domestic market as early as next week.
According to the industry on the 14th, Eli Lilly Korea plans to sequentially supply 7.5 mg products of the GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) class obesity treatment mounjaro starting next week, and 10 mg products starting early next month, through wholesalers. Accordingly, supply is expected to begin as early as next week, centered on contracted wholesalers.
The wholesale price of high-dose mounjaro is reportedly about 520,000 won for a four-week supply. This is higher than 2.5 mg (about 280,000 won) and 5 mg (about 370,000 won). Taking into account the treatment pattern of escalating to a high dose after administering low doses (2.5 mg, 5 mg) for four weeks each, Eli Lilly Korea has been expediting securing high-dose stock through the end of this month.
Earlier, on Aug. 14, Eli Lilly Korea launched low-dose products (2.5 mg, 5 mg) in Korea and began wholesale distribution on the 20th of the same month. Prescriptions surged immediately after launch, showing such high popularity that it led to shortages.
According to data submitted by People Power Party lawmaker Kim Mi-ae, a member of the National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee, from the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service (HIRA), the monthly number of prescriptions for mounjaro jumped 3.8 times from 18,579 in Aug. to 70,383 in Sept. During the same period, prescriptions for the competing product Wegovy (ingredient name semaglutide) from Novo Nordisk fell from 64,726 to 15,136, rapidly narrowing the gap between the two products. If high-dose supply ramps up in earnest, some suggest the prescription ranking could flip.
According to Lilly's clinical results, when mounjaro was administered up to a high dose, the average weight loss rate was 20.2%, higher than Wegovy's 13.7%.
An Eli Lilly Korea official said, "We are working closely with headquarters and manufacturing sites to ensure smooth domestic supply of mounjaro," adding, "We will do our best to ensure stable supply for patients who need treatment for obesity, type 2 diabetes, and obstructive sleep apnea."