Korea's 1st homegrown obesity drug likely to intensify price competition
Korea’s first homegrown obesity drug could shake up a market dominated by Mounjaro and Wegovy, an industry official said, as more Koreans travel to Japan to obtain cheaper Mounjaro and bring it home illegally, driven by the high cost of obesity treatments in Korea. Chung Sang-won, director of pharmacy innovation at the Korea Pharmaceutical Association, said the launch of Eppe, Korea’s first…
Korea's first homegrown obesity drug, Eppe, is poised to disrupt the market that has been largely controlled by Mounjaro and Wegovy, according to an official from the Korea Pharmaceutical Association. This new treatment, a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1)-based obesity medication, could further fuel price competition, similar to the price reductions seen in China.
Chung Sang-won, the director of pharmacy innovation at the Korea Pharmaceutical Association, noted that Mounjaro's price in China plummeted by up to 66 percent, from 1,758 yuan ($262) to 599 yuan, and Wegovy also experienced a significant price drop. These price cuts were prompted by the surge in competition from domestically developed GLP-1-based obesity treatments in China.
In 2025, Innovent Biologics' mazdutide, a dual glucagon and GLP-1 receptor agonist, received approval in China, adding to the already competitive landscape. Additionally, Sciwind Biosciences' ecnogl is also making its way to the Korean market, further intensifying the price competition for obesity treatments.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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