'Wegovy,' an obesity drug that is hugely popular but in shortages worldwide, will land in South Korea in mid-October.

It will become domestically available a year and a half after receiving approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS). It marks the ninth release worldwide, following Japan and China.

The Wegovy effect has garnered attention from university hospitals and private clinical practices in light of the news. The industry is watching whether the Wegovy sales will match those of the obesity drug 'syndrome' in the mid-2010s when Saxenda (liraglutide) was released in South Korea.

According to the pharmaceutical industry on September 23rd, Novo Nordisk Korea announced the launch of the obesity drug 'Wegovy Prefilled Pen (semaglutide)' in mid-October in South Korea.

This detailed announcement of the product launch date may be due to increasing interest in the domestic introduction of the global obesity drugs, such as Wegovy.

Wegovy is an obesity drug and a once-weekly injectable prescription drug.

In early April 2023, the MFDS approved the use of Wegovy as a weight-loss and weight-management aid to obese patients who have a Body Mass Index (hereafter referred to as BMI) of 30kg/m2 or higher or those who are overweight with early BMI of 27kg/m2 or higher and below 30kg/m2 and having one or more weight-related accompanying diseases.

Furthermore, Wegovy's expanded indication was approved for use in reducing the risk of major cardiovascular events (cardiovascular diseases-related deaths, non-critical myocardial infarction or non-critical stroke) in patients who have confirmed cardiovascular diseases and are overweight, or obese with a BMI of 27 kg/m2 or higher at an early stage.

As South Korea has been set as the 10th country worldwide to have Wegovy launched, physicians have both hopes and concerns.

The vast opinion is that Wegovy will gather more interest than Saxenda which may cause a 'syndrome.' The concern is that when the stock is supplied in a limited quantity, patients may attempt various illegal transactions to obtain the drug.

Because it is being launched domestically to clinical practices as a non-reimbursable drug, Wegovy is expected to be primarily used by patients who want it for health management and beauty instead of those with clinical needs, such as overweight patients.

Sung-Rae Kim, Chairman of Korean Society for the Study of Obestiy (KSSO) and Professor of the Catholic University of Korea Bucheon St. Mary's Hospital (Endocrinology), said, "It is great news that Wegovy will be launched in South Korea, world's 10th country. However, I am concerned whether it will be used properly because of the non-reimbursable status," adding, "For Ozempic, a diabetes drug containing the same active ingredient, it did not pass the hurdle of the reimbursement listing process after the domestic launch. Since new drugs cannot be introduced with reimbursement due to the current Korean drug pricing system, we need to think over this issue."

Kim said, "When I reviewed the Korean obesity statistics, the obesity rate is higher in individuals who have socioeconomic difficulties. As the drug will not be covered by insurance, I am concerned whether it will be properly used for obesity treatment," and explained, "In my opinion, I hope that a specific stock will be utilized for treating patients with obesity, covered by insurance coverage."

In the past few years, by Saxenda and Qsymia have dominated the Korean obesity market. This division is expected to disappear when Wegovy enters sales.

In the meantime, private clinical practices are sharing opinions about Wegovy's expected non-reimbursement price after its launch.

Although Novo Nordisk has yet to announce the price, clinical practices are hopeful that it will be the 'lowest price' worldwide as a non-reimbursable drug.

In reference, Wegovy is sold in the United States for US$1,350 (around KRW 1.8 million) per month. This is about KRW 21.6 million for a year-long treatment. For Japan, the monthly treatment costs are set about KRW 400,000 with insurance coverage.

Private clinical practices expect the price of Wegovy in South Korea to be the lowest in the world for a non-reimbursable drug, except for Japan's cases with insurance coverage.

The clinical field suggests this is likely due to Mounjaro (tirzepatide, Lily Korea).

Wegovy seems to be attempting to dominate the market by entering the domestic clinical field ahead of Mounjaro, which does not have a set launch date.

Cost-wise, Mounjaro is sold at a cheaper price than Wegovy in the global market. Consequently, Wegovy might launch in South Korea before Mounjaro.

A family medicine physician who remained anonymous said, "Wegovy in Japan appears to be the world's lowest price. However, it is covered by insurance. As a non-reimbursable drug, Wegovy is expected to launch in Korea at the lowest price," adding, "Novo Nordisk may be contemplating on a reasonable non-reimbursable price. Although the price has yet been set, the company may be considering Mounjaro's domestic launch."

"A yearly treatment for Mounjaro is about KRW 3 million cheaper than Wegovy when converted, and the vial formulation is 50% lower in drug price," and analyzed, "Considering many points, the company is likely planning to enter the Korean market with Wegovy before Mounjaro."

Korean clinical field expects that Wegovy will result in the new obesity drug syndrome, surpassing that of Saxenda, and cause major shifts in the industry, such as bringing changes to the medical system and healthcare.

Doctor Chul-Jin Lee, President of DAOR, said, "Since patients are already familiar with obesity drugs because of Saxenda, so setting the right drug price will generate immediate interest, surpassing the syndrome," and explained, "Taking the Korean market into account, Wegovy is just the beginning. Other drugs with various formulations and Mounjaro will follow."

Lee added, "Divisions in the Korean medical system are not divided, but diseases connect all divisions. There could be an increase in patients with digestive trouble when Wegovy launches in Korea," adding, "In the United States, the healthcare supplement industry has changed, with supplements becoming more available in pharmacies following the Wegovy launch. Similarly, the Korean medical system and related industry will likely undergo change."