S. Korea moves to tighten rules on misuse of weight loss drugs, including Wegovy

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The South Korean government said Monday it plans to tighten regulations on the misuse of medications such as Wegovy and Saxenda, as growing numbers of people use the drugs to achieve their desired weight despite potential side effects.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare said in a statement that prescribing such drugs beyond recommended limits is inadvisable, and that it will work with the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety to designate them as medications at risk of misuse or abuse under the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act. This designation would require medical staff to closely examine the patient's physical conditions and medical history before prescription.

The popularity of injectable weight-loss drugs has soared in Korea over the past few years. According to the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, from 2020 through June 2025, there were 721,310 prescriptions for Saxenda and 395,384 for Wegovy, both developed by Novo Nordisk.

About 71.5 percent of prescriptions went to women, with those in their 30s and 60s accounting for 60 percent. Saxenda has been sold here since March 2018, and Wegovy launched here in October last year.

Both drugs were approved for clinical use by local and international health authorities, including the US Food and Drug Administration, but reported side effects include nausea, vomiting, constipation, abdominal pain, headaches and fatigue.

From 2022 to March this year, South Korea has recorded 1,708 cases of side effects related to Saxenda and 143 for Wegovy, according to the Korea Institute of Drug Safety and Risk Management.

Wegovy is designed to reduce patient appetite by mimicking the actions of the hormone released after meal digestion, glucagon-like peptide-1. It has grown popular since its launch here, with public figures such as YouTuber Pani Bottle sharing his experience of losing a significant amount of weight. Despite the YouTuber also saying he has experienced side effects such as prolonged nausea, such adverse effects have received relatively less media coverage.

A survey conducted on 282 people with obesity on Oct. 14, 2024, a day before Wegovy was released in Korea, revealed that 67 percent of respondents were willing to be prescribed Wegovy. Of the respondents wishing to use the drug, 41 percent said they want to lose at least 20 kilograms with the new medication.