Who will distribute Mounjaro in Korea?

Boryung, and Chong Kun Dang are candidates

Market expects demand to exceed that of Saxenda... Will reorganize the obesity treatment market

Mounjaro will be released in the first half of next year…potential distribution partners under consideration

One company is in charge of distributing Trulicity …other company has experience distributing an obesity drug… Each pharmaceutical company has strengths

As Novo Nordisk's obesity drug Wegovy (semaglutide) is set to be released, the industry’s interest is on which domestic distributor Lilly will choose for its Mounjaro (tirzepatide).

 

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According to industry sources on the 8th, Boryung Pharmaceutical and Chong Kun Dang are in the running to become domestic distributors of Wegovy’s rival obesity drug Mounjaro.

 

Zuellig Pharma Korea, which handled Novo Nordisk's existing obesity drug Saxenda, was announced as the domestic distributor of Wegovy.

 

The supply price is set at KRW 370,000 for 4 weeks’ worth.

 

The reason why the competition amongst domestic distributors for Mounjaro is so interesting is the sales potential of obesity drugs.

 

Due to its global craze, its sales are likely to have a positive impact on the sales of domestic distributors as well.

 

In 2023, global sales of Wegovy reached USD 4.5 billion (about KRW 6 trillion), while Zepbound (the U.S.

 

brand name for the Mounjaro’s obesity indication), which was launched in Q4 last year, generated sales of UDS 176 million (KRW 240 billion).

 

In June last year, Mounjaro received approval as an adjunct for chronic weight management, about a year after it was approved for type 2 diabetes.

 

In the SURMOUNT-1 and SURMOUNT-2 trials which became the basis of approval, all doses showed statistically significant weight loss results compared to placebo, and the rate of achieving weight loss of 5% or more was also higher in the Mounjaro arm than in the placebo arm.

 

Lilly’s decision to add the obesity indication to its existing product rather than file a new drug application is also expected to accelerate its launch.

 

The industry is currently expecting a May launch next year.

 

The first pharmaceutical company being considered as a possible distributor for Mounjaro is Boryung.

 

It has a distribution agreement for Lilly's diabetes drug Trulicity and therefore is expected to have an advantage in Mounjar, which is a similar drug.

 

In addition, Boryung has acquired the domestic rights to the patent-expired cancer drugs Gemzar (gemcitabine) and Alimta (pemetrexed) and the schizophrenia drug Zyprexa (olanzapine) from Eli Lilly in 2020-2022.

 

‘We have been in charge of Trulicity’s distribution since 2016 after signing a sales agreement with Lilly.

 

However, signing a new drug partnership is a completely different matter, therefore it is difficult to confirm any facts,’ said a Boryung official.

 

Chong Kun Dang, which has experience in distributing obesity drugs, is also in the running.

 

Currently, Chong Kun Dang is the co-promoter and distributor of Alvogen's obesity drug Qsymia.

 

Qsymia was approved in the US in 2012 for the treatment of obesity in adults.

 

It is a combination of phentermine, a short-term appetite suppressant, and topiramate, a neurotherapeutic agent.

 

It was introduced in South Korea in late 2019.

 

“From Lilly's point of view, experience in distributing obesity drugs will be important when choosing a domestic distributor.

 

I think we are being considered because we have experience in distributing the obesity drug Qsymia,” said a Chong Kung Dang official.