About 18.9% of normal-weight women in South Korea perceive themselves as obese, according to the Korean Society for the Study of Obesity. This perception is concerning as obesity treatment drugs, often referred to as "weight loss injections," are being prescribed to individuals who do not need to lose weight, prompting experts to warn about potential misuse and side effects.
On August 17, the society reported that among adults aged 20 and older who participated in the 2022-2024 National Health and Nutrition Survey, the self-perception of obesity was significantly higher among women compared to men, with only 4.1% of normal-weight men identifying as obese. The rate soared to 66.9% among women classified as pre-obese. The discrepancy between actual weight and self-perception was most pronounced among those in their 20s and 30s.
This distorted perception coincides with a surge in prescriptions for obesity medications. According to data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service provided by Rep. Han Ji-a of the ruling People Power Party, Mounjaro has been prescribed over 1.5 million times in the 10 months since its launch in August 2022, with more than half (52.9%) of prescriptions going to individuals in their 20s and 30s. Similarly, Wegovy, which was released earlier, saw over 1.22 million prescriptions during the same period, with 46.4% of those prescriptions also for the younger demographic.
However, safety measures during the prescription process appear to be ineffective. Despite warnings from the Drug Utilization Review (DUR) system regarding potential duplicate prescriptions or excessive dosages, 97.2% of Wegovy prescriptions and 94.2% of Mounjaro prescriptions remained unchanged.
Rep. Han stated, "If over 90% of prescriptions continue despite warnings, it indicates that the DUR system is not functioning properly in practice," urging the Ministry of Health and Welfare to conduct a comprehensive review of the DUR system for obesity medications.
Originally developed for treating diabetes and severe obesity, these medications are increasingly being viewed as weight loss tools, raising concerns about unnecessary prescriptions among younger individuals.
A representative from the Korean Society for the Study of Obesity warned, "Using these medications for cosmetic purposes can lead to side effects such as muscle loss, gastrointestinal issues, and gallstones, which may outweigh any benefits, especially among adolescents and young women."
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety plans to designate Wegovy and Mounjaro as "drugs of concern for misuse" in an upcoming amendment. Due to rising concerns about misuse of GLP-1 obesity medications, the ministry intends to announce the revised regulations as early as this month.
If these medications are classified as drugs of concern for misuse, they will only be available at pharmacies designated as "exceptions to the separation of prescribing and dispensing" with a doctor's prescription. Packaging and accompanying documents will need to indicate that they are "drugs of concern for misuse."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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