Prices for the obesity drugs "Wegovy" and "Zepbound (Mounjaro)" have been sharply cut in the United States. U.S. consumers can now buy these drugs for as little as the 70,000-won range per month. In contrast, consumers in Korea still have to pay several hundred thousand won, widening the price gap.
Wegovy by Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk and Zepbound by U.S. company Eli Lilly are next-generation obesity treatments. They mimic the hormone GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide) secreted in the small intestine after meals and are administered once weekly by injection. They suppress appetite signals in the brain and slow the passage of food through the stomach to increase satiety. Originally developed as diabetes treatments, they became key drugs leading the global obesity treatment market after their excellent weight-loss effects were proven.
◇ U.S. obesity drug prices fall under Trump pressure
According to Reuters and other foreign media, U.S. President Donald Trump said at the White House on the 6th (local time) that Wegovy's monthly price will drop from $1,350 (198만원) to $250 (37만원), and Zepbound's from $1,080 (158만원) to $346 (51만원). Out-of-pocket costs for Medicare (medical support for seniors 65 and older and people with disabilities) and Medicaid (medical support for low-income people) beneficiaries will fall to $50 (7만원).
President Trump has pressured drugmakers, saying he would impose a tariff if they did not lower prices. In the United States, drugmakers set prices independently. Private insurers and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) intervene in the pricing process, resulting in comparatively higher prices than in other countries. With this price cut, Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly will be exempt from pharmaceutical tariffs for three years.
About 40% of the U.S. population is obese. President Trump is pursuing the Make America Healthy Again strategy. The industry sees the price cuts as part of a strategy to showcase policy achievements ahead of next year's midterm elections.
◇ Caution on price cuts in Korea
In Korea, Wegovy arrived in Oct. last year, and Mounjaro landed in Aug. this year. Mounjaro has the same ingredient as Zepbound. In the United States, Zepbound is used for obesity and Mounjaro for diabetes treatment. In Korea, Mounjaro was approved and launched for obesity treatment.
In Korea, obesity drugs generally sell for the high-200,000-won to 700,000-won range per month depending on dose. Obesity drugs are not covered by national health insurance. Wegovy doses range from 0.25 to 2.4 mg, and Mounjaro from 2.5 to 10 mg. Treatment starts at a low dose and escalates to a high dose. A representative at Clinic A in Gangnam District, Seoul, said, "We sell 5 mg of Mounjaro in the 480,000-won range."
Consumers hope prices in Korea can be lowered like in the United States. The industry, however, believes that because prices were cut in the United States, where drugs were more expensive, it will be difficult to lower prices in Korea right away.
Novo Nordisk and Korea Lilly are also cautious. When Wegovy was introduced in Korea last year, it was brought in at a lower price than in the United States, and ahead of Mounjaro's launch in Aug. this year, the supply price was cut once. Korea Lilly also says it needs to consider domestic policy. A Korea Lilly official said, "Prices may change depending on subsequent negotiations and regulatory measures."
◇ Side effects include pancreatitis, vomiting, and diarrhea
Wegovy and Mounjaro should be prescribed to adults with a body mass index (BMI, weight divided by height squared) of 30 or higher, or 27 or higher with conditions such as high blood pressure. However, there are cases where they are prescribed to people with normal weight or children under 12.
According to data obtained by Kim Nam-hee, a Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker on the Health and Welfare Committee, from the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service (HIRA), Wegovy was prescribed 69 times to children under 12 from Oct. last year to Aug. this year. Prescriptions were also issued in psychiatry, ophthalmology, and dentistry, which are unrelated to obesity.
Reckless prescribing leads to abuse of obesity drugs and side effects. Obesity drugs can cause acute pancreatitis, vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation. Acute pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas, presenting with abdominal pain, nausea, and fever, and can be fatal in severe cases.
In Korea, 151 people developed acute pancreatitis after receiving Wegovy, and 19 visited emergency rooms. In June, U.K. health authorities launched an investigation after hundreds of reports of acute pancreatitis following obesity drug use.