“Even medical interpretation support at an unbeatable price”... Expansion of expedition prescription marketing for obesity

After the government allowed patients to bring in obesity medications prescribed from overseas on the 12th, the attraction of Korean patients began in earnest in Japan.

Japanese medical institutions are trying to attract patients by boasting that local obesity treatment prices are cheaper than those in Korea.

Korean-language advertisements are posted through social networking services (SNS) and infographics are used to guide specific prices.

◇ Maunjaro costs 60,000 won per month in Japan… One-fifth the price in Korea

According to a Japanese medical institution's SNS advertisement, the price for one month's supply of Maunzaro 2.5 mg is 7,000 yen (about 60,000 won), and 5 mg is 13,000 yen (about 110,000 won).

It costs about 300,000 won to purchase a 2.5mg product with a prescription in Korea, which is about one-fifth of that.

Japanese medical institutions emphasize not only price competitiveness, but also the fact that they provide Korean-language treatment and non-face-to-face treatment, and that they deliver medicine to the hotel where you are staying.

Recently, a clinic in Fukuoka, Japan attracted attention online by advertising that it would send Maunjaro to accommodations in Tsushima Island.

The travel industry predicts that demand for travel to Japan will increase due to the government's decision to allow the carry-on of obesity treatment drugs and the impact of local marketing.

A travel industry official said, “There appears to be increasing interest in local medical institutions in Japan, which are relatively cheaper than domestic ones.”

Another official predicted, “As the recent low yen (weak yen) phenomenon continues and the supply of airline seats to Japan increases during the winter season, demand for flights to Japan will continue to increase significantly.”

In internet communities, it is not difficult to find cases where people are considering going to China instead of Japan to prescribe and purchase obesity treatment drugs.

Not only can you purchase Maunjaro cheaper than domestically, but you can also get a 'quick pen' type product that contains 4 weeks' worth in one pen.

Among people who purchase maunjaro overseas, the maunjaro purchased in Japan and China is also called 'sushijaro' and 'marajaro' respectively.

As the number of people going abroad to obtain obesity treatments increases, some say that treatment accessibility for patients should be increased by lowering domestic drug prices.

Lilly Korea responded to a price-related inquiry by saying, “We determine the supply price for Maunja by comprehensively considering the overall value of the product, its efficacy and safety profile, and the market and regulatory environment of each country.”

He added, "We are exploring various ways to help patients access treatment," and added, "We will do our best to have Maunjaro listed on health insurance through communication and cooperation with the government and stakeholders."

◇ Carry-in of Wigobi and Maunja is allowed… Overseas direct purchase is prohibited.

In response to the criticism that medicines prescribed directly from overseas medical institutions should not be regulated by the same standards as medicines purchased directly from overseas (direct purchases), which are highly likely to be counterfeit, the government allowed people to enter the country with up to a three-month supply of prescription medicines.

Accordingly, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) type obesity treatment drugs such as Maunjaro and Wigobi purchased with prescription from overseas can now be brought in.

Although the government's improvement in regulations itself is positive, some say that the 'surprise announcement' of changes to the system is disappointing.

Lee Man-hee, chairman of the Health and Welfare Committee of the National Assembly, said at a general meeting of the Health and Welfare Committee held on the 13th, "The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety distributed a press release at 17:00 on the 11th and suddenly lifted the ban on importation. I think if there had been a brief grace period, confusion (on site) could have been reduced."

In response, Minister of Food and Drug Safety Oh Yoo-kyung responded, “We thought it was for the convenience of the people, so we decided to move forward with it quickly.”

Carry-in of Maunjaro and Wigobi is allowed, but overseas direct purchase through cargo or mail is restricted as before.

This is because it is difficult to check the manufacturing and distribution process of the product, and it is difficult for patients to receive legal protection such as recall or compensation for damages when there is a problem.

According to the Korea Customs Service, there were 3,913 cases of illegal importation of Maunjaro and Wigobi via international mail between January and August of this year, which is about four times the 1,046 cases detected annually last year.

During the same period, the number of cases of illegal imports detected through express cargo was 20, more than double the 9 cases last year.