Eli Lilly Korea to roll out high-dose Mounjaro, sharpening obesity-drug rivalry with Novo Nordisk

Eli Lilly Korea is rolling out higher doses of its obesity and diabetes drug Mounjaro, escalating a rivalry with Novo Nordisk's Wegovy in Korea's fast-growing weight-loss market.

The company will release single-use prefilled pens of Mounjaro in 12.5- and 15-milligram strengths on Wednesday. The drug had previously been sold in 2.5-, 5-, 7.5- and 10-milligram doses.

Mounjaro, the active ingredient of which is tirzepatide, is approved in Korea as an aid to diet and exercise for controlling blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes, managing weight in obese or overweight patients and treating obstructive sleep apnea.

Clinical trials of Mounjaro found that over 72 weeks, adult patients with obesity lost an average of 16 percent of their body weight on the 5-milligram dose, 21.4 percent on 10 milligrams and 22.5 percent on 15 milligrams, the company said. 

"The higher doses could provide a new treatment option to patients who had difficulty achieving a sufficient therapeutic effect with the existing doses alone," the company said.

Industry watchers expect the launch to bring the contest between Mounjaro and Wegovy into full swing.

Regulators, meanwhile, are moving in the other direction.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety is reviewing whether to designate both drugs as medications at risk of misuse and abuse, following concerns that they are being used indiscriminately for reasons other than obesity treatment. The step is part of tighter oversight aimed at curbing cross-region and duplicate prescriptions.

BY JEONG JAE-HONG [[email protected]]