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Record high scrips for Mounjaro for weight loss raise concern that urgent medical cases will get left out

Published: 16 Apr. 2026, 18:20

A notice announcing that the obesity treatment drug Mounjaro is sold out is posted at a clinic in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Aug. 25, 2025. [CHAE HYE-SEON]

Monthly prescriptions of obesity and diabetes management drug Mounjaro, also known as tirzepatide, have surpassed 200,000 for the first time in March, raising concerns that surging demand for the drug by people seeking to lose weight could limit access for patients who need it for more urgent medical reasons.

The figure marks a whopping 1,128 percent increase from the 18,579 prescriptions issued in its first month of release in August 2025. Prescriptions reached 228,199 in March, the highest monthly figure since the drug's launch in Korea last year, according to public health insurance data cited by Rep. Seo Mi-hwa of the Democratic Party on Wednesday.

Assuming a monthly cost of 300,000 won ($204), total monthly sales are estimated at around 68.5 billion won.

“Annual sales of a single drug usually peak at around 77.7 billion won, so reaching this level in just one month is enormous,” a medical industry source stated.

Mounjaro prescriptions totaled 582,945 in the first quarter of this year, with cumulative prescriptions reaching 977,310 over the eight months from its release through March 2026. Combined with Wegovy, an obesity drug made of semaglutide, which recorded 1,045,360 prescriptions from last year through the first quarter, total prescriptions for the two weight loss drugs have exceeded 2 million.

The problem is that prescriptions are increasingly being driven not only by patients with medical needs but also by demand for cosmetic purposes. Obesity drugs should only be prescribed to patients with a body mass index of 30 or higher, or 27 or higher with related conditions. However, prescriptions are reportedly being issued to people of normal weight without medical necessity.

A pharmacist displays a box of Mounjaro in Provo, Utah, on March 29, 2023. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Jongno District, central Seoul, recorded the highest share of prescriptions nationwide — 10.2 percent for Mounjaro and 16.8 percent for Wegovy — and is home to clinics known online as “hot spots” for the drugs.

Around Jongno 5-ga Station on line 1 of the Seoul Metro, clinics and large pharmacies are clustered closely together, creating an environment where prices are relatively lower and prescriptions are easier to obtain. As both drugs are injectable rather than oral medications, patients can purchase them directly at clinics, further concentrating demand at facilities known to issue prescriptions more readily.

At one such clinic in Jongno District, a steady stream of patients — mostly women in their 20s and 30s — filled the waiting room on Wednesday. There were not many who appeared visibly overweight. After consultations, the female patients headed straight to the desk, where staff handed them boxes of Mounjaro from a display refrigerator.

“If you say your appetite is hard to control, you can get a prescription,” said a female patient in her 30s. Shortages have also emerged amid the surge in demand.

A notice stating that Wegovy is in stock is posted in the window of a pharmacy in central Seoul on Dec. 2, 2025. [YONHAP]

“The lowest dose of 2.5 milligrams is currently out of stock,” a hospital source told the JoongAng Ilbo on condition of anonymity.

As signs of overheated consumption grow, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety plans to designate Mounjaro and Wegovy as drugs with a risk of misuse.

“It will take several months to complete the notification process, including administrative notice and regulatory review,” said a ministry official.

If designated, warning labels will be added to packaging, and purchases will require a prescription even at clinics that are normally exempt from the usual regulation that only pharmacies can dispense medication. However, some in the medical community argue that such measures will be insufficient to curb the surge in demand.

Experts warn that rising demand is already limiting access to treatment for patients who need it.

A pedestrian walks by a pharmacy in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Feb. 9, 2025. [YONHAP]

“Patients with severe obesity who require prescriptions are unable to receive treatment due to the cost burden,” said Oh Sang-woo, a professor of family medicine at Dongguk University Ilsan Hospital. “Health insurance coverage should be expanded to vulnerable groups such as people with disabilities, children and teenagers.”

Concerns over side effects are also growing. There were 1,017 reported adverse cases related to Mounjaro and Wegovy last year, according to Rep. Seo's office.

Concerns have been raised over possible side effects such as gallstones and pancreatitis.

“We are seeing a growing number of patients coming in for gastrointestinal medication, due to what we suspect are Mounjaro side effects,” said a family medicine clinic director in Gangnam District, southern Seoul.

“Obesity drugs are intended for disease treatment, not cosmetic purposes,” Seo said. “If prescriptions are abused, it could lead to situations where patients who need the medication cannot access it properly.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY CHAE HYE-SEON [[email protected]]