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Photo courtesy of Yonhap News |
[Alpha Biz= Paul Lee] Seoul, January 11, 2026 – Eli Lilly’s glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) obesity medication, Mounjaro (tirzepatide), has overtaken Denmark’s Novo Nordisk Wegovy in prescription volume in South Korea, less than four months after its launch.
According to the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service (HIRA), Mounjaro recorded 97,344 prescriptions in November 2025, surpassing Wegovy’s 71,333 prescriptions. The medication’s rapid uptake follows its domestic launch in August 2025 at low doses (2.5 mg and 5 mg), with higher doses (7.5 mg and 10 mg) distributed sequentially from late September.
Prescription trends indicate a swift market shift: in October 2025, Wegovy prescriptions fell to 79,823, while Mounjaro reached 79,080. By November, Wegovy prescriptions declined 10.6%, whereas Mounjaro prescriptions increased 23.1%.
Mounjaro has also surpassed Wegovy in the United States and Europe. Clinical trials by Eli Lilly show that high-dose Mounjaro achieves an average weight reduction of 20.2%, compared to 13.7% for Wegovy.
Overall demand for GLP-1 obesity treatments in South Korea has surged, with combined prescriptions for both drugs reaching 168,677 in November 2025, a 152.5% increase from four months prior (66,793 prescriptions).
Despite growing popularity, the high cost—ranging from 250,000 to 500,000 KRW for a four-week supply—remains a barrier for patients, prompting discussions about potential measures to ease financial burdens.
알파경제 Paul Lee 특파원(hoondork1977@alphabiz.co.kr)
