The domestic minimum-dose supply price of the obesity drug Mounjaro was found to be more than five times higher than in Japan. Prices for GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) class obesity drugs in Korea were higher not only than those in neighboring countries such as Japan and China, but also than in major European nations.
◇ Korea's Mounjaro supply price 16% higher than the average of five countries in Japan and Europe
According to data on obesity drug supply prices obtained from the National Health Insurance Service and the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service by Nam In-soon, a Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker on the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee, the factory shipping price (wholesale supply price) for Mounjaro Prefilled Pen Injection 2.5 mg in Korea from January to June this year was 68,397 won. This is based on the shipping price before distribution through wholesalers to medical institutional investors.
This is 5.1 times Japan's supply price of 13,340 won. It is also higher than France's supply price of 59,576 won and the United Kingdom's supply price of 60,678 won. Prices for Mounjaro by capacity in each country were compared using a simple conversion rate per pen. Calculations applied the average exchange rate based on the trading reference rate over a 36-month period (August 2023 to July 2026).
When compared with the seven major countries that Korea references for drug prices (United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, and Japan), Korea's Mounjaro price was on the higher side compared to all countries except the United States and Germany.
When compared with the average supply price of Europe and Japan, excluding the United States among the seven major countries, Korea's supply price was higher for all capacities except the minimum dose of 2.5 mg. Based on the 5th mg dose, Korea's supply price was 90,827 won, which was 16% more expensive than the Europe-Japan average supply price of 78,298 won. For the maximum dose of 15 mg, Korea's supply price was 167,971 won, which was 14% higher.
Even when compared with the average price of five European countries, Korea's Mounjaro price was more expensive for all capacities except 2.5 mg. The prices were 5% higher for 5 mg, 6% higher for 7 mg, and 7% higher for 12.5 mg, respectively.
In Japan and other countries, health insurance is applied, so the cost borne by patients at medical institutional investors is fixed. In contrast, in Korea, because it is a non-covered item, medical institutional investors or pharmacies can arbitrarily add additional profits when selling, which can result in higher prices for patients.
◇ Patients travel to Japan for treatment; government only cracks down on patients without managing prices… "Additional government action needed"
As a result, some patients are traveling to Japan and other countries for medical treatment to obtain prescriptions for GLP-1 obesity drugs, but the government is cracking down even on this, leading to growing dissatisfaction among patients.
Nam (Rep.) criticized, "GLP-1 class obesity treatments are in a blind spot of price regulation due to their non-covered status, and institutional means to control excessive or inappropriate use are also inadequate." They added, "If the structure blocks the import of obesity drugs from abroad while effectively leaving domestic high-price sales to the market, it is hard to avoid criticism that this protects the high-price sales of global pharmaceutical companies over the choice of the people."
There are also calls for the government to intervene in the price management of obesity drugs. Nam Eun-kyung, Director of the Social Policy Division at the Economic Justice Citizens' League, pointed out the lack of control mechanisms in Korea's non-covered market, stating, "In other countries, non-covered items cannot be used arbitrarily, and prices are largely set within a defined range." She continued, "Without any regulation, would pharmaceutical companies voluntarily lower prices? Rather than relying on corporate conscience and ethics, supporting institutional management is necessary."
One patient taking obesity drugs pointed out, "The government shifts the responsibility only to patients who purchase obesity drugs," adding, "It does not separately investigate or prepare measures for the domestic and international price gap, which is the direct cause of patients turning to overseas purchases of obesity drugs."
The patient criticized, "Global pharmaceutical companies claim that Korean drug prices are too low to launch products, engaging in 'new drug Korea passing' while demanding higher new drug prices from the government, yet they display a double standard by charging high prices for non-covered treatments like obesity drugs." They emphasized, "The government should establish procedures to negotiate supply price reductions with relevant pharmaceutical companies regarding drug prices that are excessively high compared to overseas levels," adding, "Pharmaceutical companies with significant market power should be reviewed jointly with the Fair Trade Commission for potential unfair practices."
in THEBIO
