The Ministry of Health and Welfare has initiated a large-scale investigation into illegal practices involving obesity treatment self-injection drugs, such as 'Wegovy' and 'Mountzaro,' which are being dispensed directly by hospitals and clinics instead of pharmacies.
On October 22, the ministry announced that it would conduct joint field investigations with local governments to address the issue of some medical institutions violating drug distribution principles by selling self-injection obesity treatments on-site.
Self-injection drugs like 'Wegovy' and 'Mountzaro' are specialized medications designed for patients to administer themselves. According to the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act, these drugs must be dispensed by a pharmacist following a doctor's prescription. The only exceptions allowing hospitals and clinics to dispense and sell medications directly are strictly limited to cases where injections are administered on-site for educational purposes.
The ministry has consistently informed that on-site dispensing and sales are permissible only for educational injections. However, there has been a significant increase in cases where some hospitals and clinics are selling substantial quantities of injection drugs to patients without administering them directly.
As a result, the ministry and local governments will focus their investigations on medical institutions with high supply volumes suspected of violating drug distribution principles by dispensing and selling self-injection obesity treatments on-site.
Severe penalties will follow if violations of drug distribution principles are detected during the investigation. Under Article 23, Section 4 of the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act, offenders may face up to one year in prison or fines of up to 10 million won. Additionally, under Article 18, Section 1 of the Medical Service Act (obligation to issue prescriptions), first-time offenders may receive a 15-day suspension of their medical license, while a second offense within two years could result in a 30-day suspension.
The ministry plans to continue monitoring and managing the supply volumes of medical institutions even after the investigation.
Kwack Soon-hun, Director of Health Policy, stated, "While the demand for self-injection obesity treatments is increasing, this demand should not lead to illegal sales that violate drug distribution principles. We will strengthen management and oversight to ensure that this important regulatory framework is upheld in the field, protecting public health and preventing the misuse of medications."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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