Will regulations emerge for Wegovy prescriptions?

Minister Eun Kyeong Jeong, “Will actively consult with the medical community”

Nam-hee Kim, “Sacrificing public health for physicians’ profit... cannot be left unchecked”

Health and Welfare Minister Eun-kyeong Jeong acknowledged the excessive prescription of the popular obesity drug Wegovy in some frontline medical institutions and pledged to devise measures to improve prescribing practices through consultation with the medical community.

 

The minister also said that MOHW will cooperate with the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) to designate Wegovy and other obesity injections as drugs of concern for misuse and abuse, raising the level of regulatory control and strengthening post-marketing adverse event monitoring systems.

 

Minister Jeong made the remarks on October 15 in response to on-site inquiries from Rep.

 

Nam-hee Kim of the Democratic Party of Korea during a National Assembly audit session.

 

Rep Kim pointed out the problem that Wegovy, launched domestically last year and enjoying explosive popularity, is being prescribed without restriction beyond the approved indications.

 

She further pointed out that prescriptions have been issued even to pregnant women and children under 12, both of whom are contraindicated for Wegovy.

 

Rep.

 

Kim asked Minister Jeong, “Do you believe the prescribing standards for Wegovy are being properly followed in clinical practice?

 

There are numerous cases where it has been prescribed to children and pregnant women, despite clear restrictions.” Rep.

 

Kim questioned, “This cannot be left unchecked.

 

The lack of adequate legal grounds to regulate doctors and pharmacists is a problem, and some doctors sacrificing patient safety for profit is also a problem.

 

The public's health must not be compromised, and national health insurance funds must not be wasted due to side effects from unprincipled prescribing and indiscriminate abuse of drugs.” Minister Jeong responded, “I believe Wegovy is being quite excessively and inappropriately prescribed in clinical settings.

 

It is important to adhere to the dosing guidelines, but under the current Medical Service Act, physicians are granted discretionary authority in their prescriptions.

 

Prescribing to children and pregnant women is certainly problematic,” she acknowledged.

 

She also pointed out that there are limits to oversight because Wegovy is a non-reimbursed medication.

 

“We will actively consult with the medical community to explore ways to adjust these excessive prescribing behaviors.” She added, “The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has a system to designate and manage drugs of concern for misuse and abuse.

 

We will utilize this system to collaborate on developing measures for drug management and post-marketing adverse reaction surveillance systems.”