Stopping illegal online sales·advertisements of 'Wegovy'

Intense monitoring for 1 month

MFDS to organize a quick monitoring task force team in collaboration with the Korea Institute of Drug Safety & Risk Management

Product photo of Wegovy.

As 'Wegovy,' a dream treatment for obesity, is set to launch in South Korea, the health authority plans to focus on monitoring online illegal sales and fraudulent advertising.

 

It will also implement post-marketing safety management related to side effects and drug abuse.

 

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (Minister Oh Yu-kyoung, MFDS) announced on October 15th of plans to implement intense monitoring of cases of sales·advertising online and SNS for a month aligninig with the launching of the obesity drug, a type of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonist.

 

A GLP-1 type obesity drug is effective in increasing glucose-dependent insulin secretion, inhibiting glucagon secretion, and delaying hunger and weight loss.

 

The drug is Novo Nordisk Korea's Wegovy.

 

Wegovy is a non-reimbursable drug that is not covered by the health insurance, and the domestic supply price is KRW 372,025 (4-week dose).

 

However, as it is non-reimbursable, the sales price, including prescription fee and distribution, is expected to be about KRW 800,000 to KRW 1 million.

 

Wegovy can be used in obese patients who have a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30kg/m2 or higher or those who are overweight with early BMI of 27kg/m2 or higher and below 30kg/m2 and have one or more weight-related accompanying diseases, with doctor's prescription and pharmacist's filling·medication counseling.

 

"It is illegal for people who do not have pharmacy license to sell the obesity drug," MFDS stated.

 

"To prevent the potential risk of consumers buying obesity drugs through online·SNS, the MFDS will implement an intense monitoring of individuals selling or advertising the obesity drug online·SNS for a month aligning to the launching date." The MFDS, in collaboration with the Korea Institute of Drug Safety & Risk Management, will also monitor cases of side effects·adverse reactions related to the use of the obesity drugs and organize a monitoring task force to implement necessary safety measures.

 

The MFDS will collaborate with the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) and review· analyze the supply volume and increasing·decreasing trends in each clinic.

 

It will also conduct on-site monitoring for fraudulent advertisements.

 

"We will ensure people use medicines safely by monitoring domestic and overseas safety information and adverse reaction cases for obesity drugs, and we will also check online sales advertisements and conduct on-site monitoring," the MFDS stated.