"Wegovy and Mounjaro supplied at up to 80% off"
"Direct delivery of genuine products linked with local factories in India and China"
Overseas direct purchases of obesity drugs such as Wegovy and Mounjaro are not dying down. On the 8th, when we inquired with a direct-purchase site for obesity drugs, the reply came back, "Delivery of genuine products takes within 10 days." The explanation was that they ship cheaply from overseas factories.
The process of directly purchasing an obesity drug was not difficult. It was possible to choose the desired dose without a separate doctor's prescription. By entering your name, address, phone number, and email, you could obtain it easily with a few clicks. Payment was made with cryptocurrency or by bank transfer.
Overseas direct purchases of obesity drugs are banned. This is because they are prescription-only medicines under the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act. However, on the direct-purchase site, we found reviews such as, "I was worried because it was my first time with overseas shipping, but it arrived well." It showed that obesity drugs are being distributed indiscriminately in Korea, evading the law.
◇Even with customs inspections… "They split doses or pack them between snacks"
The Ministery of Food and Drug Safety has banned direct purchases since Oct. 2024, when Wegovy arrived, and in November last year designated obesity drugs as items of concern and asked customs to strengthen inspections.
An official at the Ministery of Food and Drug Safety said, "As soon as we discover an overseas direct-purchase site, we ask the Korea Communications Standards Commission to block it."
However, even if direct-purchase sites are blocked, new ones keep appearing. Moreover, while it is possible to ban the sale and brokering of obesity drugs online, it is difficult to restrict individuals from purchasing them on their own, according to the Ministery of Food and Drug Safety.
Even if you order an obesity drug via direct purchase, the Korea Customs Service blocks clearance. A Korea Customs Service official said, "We check whether there are obesity drugs through X-ray inspections and information analysis," adding, "Even with a doctor's prescription, they cannot be brought into the country from overseas."
However, a seller on an obesity drug site advised, "Depending on local conditions, we package by splitting the dose (in small amounts) or wedging it between snacks, so the chance of getting caught at customs is low," adding, "If it is seized at customs, we will reship the product."
◇Overseas direct purchases make it hard to verify authenticity and raise side-effect risks
Wegovy and Mounjaro are obesity drugs developed by Denmark's Novo Nordisk and the United States' Eli Lilly and Company. They mimic the glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-1 hormone secreted from the small intestine after meals. They suppress appetite in the brain and slow the rate at which food leaves the stomach to increase satiety. They are prescribed for patients with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher, or 27 or higher with conditions such as high blood pressure or type 2 diabetes.
Even when administered with a doctor's prescription, obesity drugs can cause side effects such as diarrhea, vomiting, and acute pancreatitis. Acute pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas that presents with abdominal pain, nausea, and fever, and in severe cases leads to death. Overseas direct-purchase products are much more likely to cause such side effects. This is because it is difficult to verify authenticity and distribution channels are unclear.
An official at the Korean Pharmaceutical Association said, "Appropriate doses of obesity drugs differ by patient," adding, "If administered without a doctor's prescription or a pharmacist's medication guidance, side effects may occur."
◇In the U.S., prices start in the 70,000-won range… In Korea, competition may heat up if domestic obesity drugs launch
The reason obesity drugs are openly traded through direct purchases is price. Prices for obesity drugs vary by country due to factors such as patent-expiration timing and drug-pricing policy. With domestic prices particularly high, consumers are said to be taking risks and reaching for overseas direct purchases to find relatively cheaper prices.
In the United States, President Donald Trump is pressuring pharmaceutical companies with tariff imposition to lower drug prices. Through Trump Rx, a pharmaceuticals platform in the United States, Wegovy 0.25 mg can be discounted from $1,349 (1.96 million won) to $199 (290,000 won). For Medicare (medical assistance for seniors 65 and older and people with disabilities) beneficiaries, out-of-pocket costs drop to $50 (70,000 won).
In China, prices for Wegovy and Mounjaro were cut by 48% and 80%, respectively, last month. In China, Wegovy's patent expires next month. As the launch of generics is expected, it is analyzed that prices were preemptively reduced to avoid losing market share.
In Korea, as Wegovy's patent expires in 2028, there is caution about price cuts. However, as Hanmi Pharmaceutical and HK inno.N are entering obesity-drug development, some expect full-fledged price competition after product launches. Novo Nordisk says it lowered the price of Wegovy in Aug. last year. A representative at Lilly Korea said, "Nothing has been decided yet regarding price cuts."