Tag: obesity

obesity

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

Monthly prescriptions of obesity and diabetes management drug Mounjaro have surpassed 200,000 for the first time in March, raising concerns that demand for the drug by people seeking to lose weight could limit access for other patients.

2026.4.16

Weight loss medications, Wegovy, front, and Saxenda, are placed on a hand at a pharmacy in central Seoul on Dec. 2, 2024. [YONHAP]

Korean developers take part in global boom in obesity treatments

The global boom in obesity treatments has evolved into a race centered on edible weight loss medications among pharmaceutical companies worldwide — and Korean developers are also taking part.

2026.4.13

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Boxes of Ozempic and Wegovy made by Novo Nordisk are seen at a pharmacy in London on March 8, 2024. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Korea pushes to tip weight loss drug market scale in their favor

Korean pharmaceutical firms are accelerating their push into the global obesity drug market as demand surges worldwide. This has sparked fierce competition among key players like HK inno.N, Ildong Pharmaceutical, Celltrion and Hanmi Pharmaceutical.

2026.2.6

A blood sugar level measurement device for diabetic patients [KIM HYUN-DONG]

New study finds that type 2 diabetics with lower BMI have higher mortality rate

Underweight patients with type 2 diabetes face a significantly higher risk of death than those who are obese, with mortality up to five times higher in the most severe cases, according to a large-scale Korean study.

2026.1.6

Boxes of Mounjaro, a tirzepatide injection drug used for treating type 2 diabetes [LILLY KOREA]

Thirty-five cases of adverse reactions to Mounjaro reported in first month of availability

Thirty-five cases of adverse reactions or serious side effects were reported in Korea within the first month of the release of Mounjaro (tirzepatide), a weight loss drug developed by Eli Lilly.

2025.12.10

A doctor measures a patient's waist circumference in this file photo. [GETTY IMAGES BANK]

One in three adults in Korea are now obese

Obesity is no longer a minor concern in Korea. One in three adults is now obese, a new government survey showed on Monday, as lifestyle changes have fueled a steady rise in obesity over the past decade.

2025.11.10

A person measures their waist in this image unrelated to the story. [GETTY IMAGES BANK]

KDCA survey raises concerns about nation's health, with male obesity reaching record high

Almost one in two Korean men in their 30s to 50s are now obese, the highest level ever recorded, raising concerns about the nation’s health. The KDCA also found that the prevalence of chronic diseases also climbed in both men and women last year.

2025.9.30

A notice about Wegovy is seen at a pharmacy in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Dec. 2, 2024. [YONHAP]

Wegovy prescriptions near 400,000 as experts concerned over widespread use, health risks

Prescriptions for popular weight-loss drug Wegovy have soared in Korea, reaching nearly 400,000 just eight months after its launch. But doctors and health officials warn of reckless use far beyond the drug's approved purpose.

2025.8.25

A pharmacist displays a box of Mounjaro, a tirzepatide injection drug used for treating type 2 diabetes made by Eli Lilly at Rock Canyon Pharmacy in Provo, Utah, on March 29, 2023. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Eli Lilly's Mounjaro to land in Korea, setting off price war with Wegovy

Eli Lilly’s cut-price Mounjaro lands in Korea next week, ending Novo Nordisk’s domestic monopoly and igniting a price war in the weight loss drug market, while Wegovy will switch to tiered pricing in a global first.

2025.8.13

Hanmi Pharmaceutical Senior Vice President Choi In-young, head of the R&D center, speaks to Korean media outlets at a press conference held in San Francisco, California, on Jan. 15. [LEE JAE-LIM]

Hanmi seeks to gain on Wegovy with its own weight-loss drug

Hanmi Pharmaceutical is working on its own range of weight-loss treatments tailored to the Korean market.

2025.1.16