Wegovy outpatient prescriptions ↓…pharmacy burden↑

increases inventory burden on pharmacies

Wegovy craze cools down 4 months after launch…the restrictions set on its non-face-to-face prescriptions also played a role

PharmacyIn-house pharmacy dispensing increases due to abuse concerns…The non-returnable Wegovy stock becomes an issue

Wegovy, whose sales suffered due to inventory shortage in pharmacies, has now become an intractable inventory four months after its launch in Korea.

 

Wegovy is a self-injectable drug that requires refrigeration and is a non-returnable product.

 

Each unit costs tens of thousands of won, so pharmacies bear a heavy burden if it becomes a dead stock.

 

At the time of its launch, its convenience of being administered once a week and the expectation of its dramatic effects were the main factors behind the craze, but the excessive enthusiasm gradually faded as public opinion grew concerned about the potential side effects.

 

The government's restriction on non-face-to-face prescriptions since December last year also played a role.

 

Not only did the amount of non-face-to-face prescriptions decrease, but sales were also affected by the transition to in-hospital dispensing.

 

Pharmacist A in Gangnam, Seoul, said, “I brought in some stock because I thought there would be patients who would ask for it, but there were no prescriptions.

 

It's an item that can't be returned, but I have about KRW 2 million worth of stock.”  Some clinics sell Wegovy as a package with blood tests and physical examinations, and some dispense Wegovy after general medical examinations.

 

An industry official said, “Clinics and hospitals were not interested in selling insulin because it was not profitable, but Wegovy and Saxenda are now being well sold in clinics.

 

It is puzzling that there are no problems (even though they are dispensing it within their institutions rather than as outpatient prescriptions).” You can easily find examples of in-hospital prescriptions in obesity treatment-related communities.

 

Some people say that they pay KRW 500,000 to 600,000 for a pen, and although they know its price at pharmacies, as the hospitals don’t issue outpatient prescriptions, they were buying it within hospitals.

 

There are also reports that they pay for blood tests and physical examinations separately to buy Wegovy at the clinic, which demonstrates the rampant in-hospital prescription activities being carried out in Korea.

 

The problem is that, with the exception of exceptional circumstances, outpatient prescriptions are the rule.

 

The issue of in-hospital dispensing of self-injectable drugs for obesity treatment, including Saxenda, has been a constant issue.

 

As cases where the doctor injects the drug first is an exception, some clinics have been selling the remaining quantity in-house after an initial injection.

 

During the 2020 NA Audit, there was also a claim that outpatient prescriptions for self-injectable drugs such as Saxenda should be made mandatory.

 

Legal experts also explain that unless in some exceptional circumstances, the sale of Wegovy within the hospital is against the law.

 

They added that it is inappropriate to sell Wegovy within the hospital for reasons such as self-injections and education.

 

“The government has also stated that outpatient prescriptions are the rule.

 

In-hospital prescriptions (unless they are injected) can be problematic, and the justification for education on the use of self-injectable drugs is not a valid reason,” explained attorney Jong-Sik Woo (Qone Law).