It is possible to enter the country carrying Wigobi and Maunja... Will purchases from Japanese expeditions increase?

Up to 3 months' worth of obesity treatment medications purchased and prescribed overseas are permitted.

There is a possibility of the spread of ‘Sushijaro’ due to the price gap in Maunjaro… Concerns about side effects

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporters Shin Seon-mi and Park Sang-hyeon = As obesity treatment drugs such as Wigobi and Maunjaro officially prescribed and purchased overseas are allowed to be brought into the country from the 12th, attention is being paid to whether the so-called 'expedition purchase' of purchasing drugs at relatively low prices from overseas, such as Japan, will increase further.

In particular, there are observations that this measure could lead to the spread of overseas purchasing, as the price difference at home and abroad is so large that a new word, 'Sushijaro', referring to Maunjaro purchased in Japan, has emerged.

Accordingly, in addition to measures to lower the burden of domestic drug prices for obesity treatments, safety management measures for distribution, storage, and misuse of drugs purchased overseas are also emerging as tasks.

◇ Ugobi and Maunja allow import of overseas purchases… Increase in detection of illegal imports

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has banned overseas direct purchases of Maunjaro and Wigobi, citing the inability to confirm the manufacturing and distribution process and the difficulty in legal protection such as recall and compensation.

The Korea Customs Service applied this principle to travelers' belongings and cracked down on the carrying of wigobi and maunja.

According to the Korea Customs Service, the number of cases of illegal importation of Maunjaro and Wigobi through travelers' belongings from January to August this year was 1,097, which is eight times the number of 134 cases last year.

However, some in society criticized that it was excessive to uniformly regulate genuine drugs purchased after being legally prescribed overseas and those purchased illegally online.

At the general meeting of the National Assembly's Budget and Accounts Special Committee on the 9th, Rep. Lee Jun-seok pointed out, "We must prevent the importing of drugs in large quantities, such as direct purchases (overseas) and package stores, which threaten the public's health, but is it normal to catch those that have been legally prescribed?"

Rep. Lee asked again, “He may be a person who needs to continue receiving (medication) for treatment purposes, but wouldn’t it be a problem if it was immediately confiscated when he came to our country?”

As concerns regarding this continued to be raised, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, in consultation with the Korea Customs Service, decided to allow the carry-on of only 6 bottles (3 months' supply) of medicines normally prescribed or purchased domestically or overseas.

Accordingly, in the case of Wigobi and Maunjaro, if they were prescribed or purchased overseas, they can now be brought into the country with a certain amount.

◇ Will overseas purchases of Japanese ‘Sushi Jar’ increase? Drug price reduction and safety management tasks

On the other hand, there are predictions that the so-called 'expedition purchases' of Ugobi and Maunjaro may increase further as the government allows the importation of medicines prescribed and purchased overseas for self-treatment.

Obesity is a chronic disease that requires continuous treatment and management, and treatment must be used for several years. Accordingly, the burden of purchasing treatment is inevitable for patients.

Accordingly, there have been many cases of purchasing Wegobi and Maunjaro in Japan, where treatment prices are cheaper than in Korea.

The lowest 4-week dose of Maunjaro can be purchased for around 300,000 won in Korea, but it is known that it can be purchased for around 100,000 won at some medical institutions in Japan.

Japan registers Maunjaro in health insurance as a treatment for type 2 diabetes and manages drug prices. Recently, the drug price was cut by 25%, widening the price gap between the two countries.

Accordingly, there has been an increase in the number of domestic patients who go to Japan, prescribe and purchase Maunjaro and then bring it back, and a new word, ‘Sushijaro’ (sushi <sushi> + Maunjaro), has even appeared, referring to Maunjaro prescribed and purchased in Japan.

In addition, there are concerns that as the import of medicines for self-treatment is allowed, there may be people who bring in and sell unlicensed ‘edible obesity pills’ such as Wigovipil and Foundayo in Korea.

Accordingly, the pharmaceutical industry and the medical community agree that a system should be established to lower drug prices and prevent side effects.

An industry official pointed out, "Obesity medicines that must be refrigerated may have a risk of deterioration in the summer, and there may also be concerns that the drug's efficacy may decrease or side effects may occur."

He also added, “If Koreans buy obesity medicines cheaply in Japan by receiving Japanese health insurance benefits, there is a possibility that the Japanese government may put the brakes on this.”

Regarding this, an official from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said, "There are many opinions that banning the carrying of medicines for self-treatment is an excessive regulation, so we made improvements after sufficient discussion." He added, "The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety will individually implement policies for safe use and work with customs authorities to monitor the situation after implementation of the measures."

Minister of Health and Welfare Jeong Eun-kyung responded to a question about drug prices at the general meeting of the National Assembly's Budget and Accounts Special Committee on the 9th by saying, "I think it is necessary to provide benefits for those with severe obesity or chronic diseases, but we are reviewing finances, etc."