You have to buy it quickly while it's available. You never know when it will come in again.
At about 5 p.m. on the 23rd, when asked about inventory of the obesity treatment "Mounjaro 5 mg" at a pharmacy near the Jongno 5-ga pharmacy street in Seoul, the pharmacist answered like this. The pharmacy received 20 units of that dosage at about 4 p.m. the same day, but they were all sold immediately.
Nearby pharmacies were in the same situation. Nine out of 11 said they were out of Mounjaro 5 mg. At the entrance of one pharmacy, a notice read, "All Mounjaro dosages sold out." Some pharmacies charged about 10% more than before.
◇ Mounjaro 5 mg not even available for reservation… preference for higher doses
As more people attempt to diet in the new year, high-dose Mounjaro is in short supply. With more people seeking higher doses for greater effect, the outlook is that supply will remain tight for the time being.
The Jongno 5-ga pharmacy street, known as the "mecca of obesity drugs," saw a steady stream of people trying to find Mounjaro. People checking stock as they went from pharmacy to pharmacy stood out everywhere. As soon as one man opened the pharmacy door, he asked, "Can I reserve Mounjaro?" But the answer came back right away: "No."
A pharmacy employee said, "Even if you search all day and stand in line, there's no supply," and explained, "Mounjaro 5 mg can't be ordered at all right now." A man who couldn't get a high dose ended up buying the 2.5 mg low dose instead.
The surge in demand is tied to the dosing protocol. Mounjaro starts with 2.5 mg for the first four weeks and then steps up to 5 mg or higher. Users who began weight loss in earnest at the start of the year are moving to higher doses, driving demand.
A tendency to seek higher doses with the expectation of better results also played a role. On social media (SNS), it is easy to find posts saying they prefer 7.5 mg over 5 mg.
Eli Lilly and Company, the maker of Mounjaro, last year launched 7.5 mg and 10 mg Mounjaro and began supplying them domestically. Wegovy from Novo Nordisk, which shares the obesity drug market with Mounjaro, has also been releasing products with higher doses than before.
◇ Concerns about misuse… shortage likely to continue through summer
When patients resume obesity treatments after stopping, high doses are often prescribed over low doses. Relatively speaking, low-dose products are in stock, while only the high-dose products are uniquely in short supply.
Supply is also failing to keep up with demand. According to the pharmaceutical industry, Mounjaro production has decreased in the short term, making it difficult to obtain not only the 5 mg product but also the newly released 7.5 mg and 10 mg.
Given that demand for obesity drugs usually starts to rise in May ahead of summer, the shortage of high-dose products is expected to continue for the time being.
Still, concerns are being raised. Obesity drugs are fundamentally intended for patients with severe obesity, but criticism of misuse has persisted as people with normal weight take them for cosmetic purposes. In particular, higher doses can carry relatively greater side effects.
The Ministery of Food and Drug Safety classified Mounjaro as an "item of concern for potential harm" last year in light of the risk of misuse.
A pharmacist said, "It's dangerous to take high-dose products without a proper examination," and added, "Don't insist on a high-dose prescription no matter what; it's wiser to choose the product that suits you."