![“My weight of 100 kg dropped to 85 kg”… Would you like to take this medicine that is causing a stir around the world? [MK약국]](https://pimg.mk.co.kr/news/cms/202410/19/news-p.v1.20241015.b1c28130dd014534a6b82acd90e993dc_P1.jpg "“My weight of 100 kg dropped to 85 kg”… Would you like to take this medicine that is causing a stir around the world? [MK약국]")
‘WeGobee’, an obesity medicine launched in Korea
Shortage phenomenon, such as one month’s reservation deadline
Average weight loss effect reaches 15%
Enhanced convenience with self-injection once a week
Beware of side effects such as headaches and acute pancreatitis
The yo-yo phenomenon is inevitable due to muscle loss.
Maeil Business Newspaper pharmaceutical and bio team contains stories related to healthcare. [MK약국] We have created a new corner and will be visiting our readers starting this weekend. Published every Saturday [MK약국]We plan to provide easy-to-understand stories that will help the general public live a healthy life, as well as vivid pharmaceutical and bio-related news that Maeil Business News reporters heard in the field. We ask for your interest and feedback from readers.
“/> news/cms/202410/19/rcv.YNA.20241015.PYH2024101507690001300_R.jpg" data-width="2835" data-height="1914" /> Enlarge photo Novo Nordisk’s obesity treatment drug ‘Wegobi’ launched in Korea on the 15th
What if you could reduce your weight from 100 kg to 85 kg in just one and a half years? If the effect is good, losing 20kg is not impossible. The cost per month is at least 800,000 won. Still, do you think that’s correct?
The nation was excited on the 15th with the news of the domestic launch of ‘Wegovy’, an obesity medicine developed by Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk. Some hospitals began accepting reservations a week before launch and have completed a month’s worth of reservations. A list of hospitals that can receive medical treatment was also shared online. On the day of launch, the server of a pharmaceutical distribution company that had begun accepting Wegobi orders went down, showing off Open Run’s level of popularity.
The emergence of obesity itself is not new. Currently, Saxenda, which Novo Nordisk released before Wigobi, is known to be quite effective. The biggest difference is in the effect. In a 68-week clinical trial, participants who received WeGobee injections lost an average of 15% of their body weight. This means that a person who weighs 100kg can gain 85kg just by undergoing weight training for about 1 year and 4 months. It is also said that one in three people who received Wigobi lost up to 20% of their body weight. It is quite groundbreaking to see that Saxenda, which has so far accounted for about half of the global obesity market, including Korea, showed a weight loss effect of 7.5% (average of 56 weeks).
Obese people were divided into two groups, with one group receiving injections plus a loose diet and exercise, and the other group receiving injections along with strong dietary restrictions and exercise. As a result, the differences between the two groups were not significant. The fact that if you take injections diligently, you can lose weight without much exercise has captured the hearts of obese people who are tired of exercise and dieting.
<img loading="lazy" src="https://pimg.mk.co.kr/news/cms/202410/19/news-p.v1.20241015.b1c28130dd014534a6b82acd90e993dc_P1.jpg" orgwidth="700" orgheight="393" alt="노보 노디스크의 블록버스터 비만치료제 ‘위고비’가 국내에서 주문 접수를 시작한 가운데 지난 15일 서울시내 한 비만 치료 병원에 위고비 관련 안내문이 적혀있다. “/> news/cms/202410/19/news-p.v1.20241015.b1c28130dd014534a6b82acd90e993dc_R.jpg" data-width="2835" data-height="1590" /> Enlarge photo Novo Nordisk’s blockbuster obesity treatment drug ‘Wegobi’ has begun accepting orders in Korea, and on the 15th, a notice regarding Wegobi was posted at an obesity treatment hospital in Seoul.
How on earth does this miracle obesity medicine work? Gastric Gobi is made up of semaglutide, an ingredient similar to the hormone (GLP-1) that promotes insulin secretion and makes you feel full after eating. This ingredient stimulates the hypothalamus of the brain, suppressing the nerves that make you feel hungry and causing a feeling of fullness, which makes you stop eating. In fact, Saxenda works on the same principle. Wigobi increased the weight loss effect by increasing the dosage of this hormone-acting drug.
Even for those who dislike injections, WiGobee has come up with a good compromise. This marker-shaped injection is required to be administered only once a week. You can stab yourself in the abdomen, thighs, arms, etc. Although Saxenda is a self-injection form, it must be taken daily. If I could reduce the number of injections I would receive seven times a week to just one, I would definitely choose WeGobee.
The problem is price. The shipping price of WeGobee is 372,025 won per pen (4 weeks). However, this is the price that Wegobi is supplied to hospitals, clinics, pharmacies, etc. If distribution costs or medical costs are added, the amount that consumers actually have to pay is bound to increase. Since it is a non-reimbursed drug that is not covered by health insurance, the price set by each hospital, clinic, and pharmacy will vary greatly. first I think it would be better to think that you would have to pay more than 800,000 won to actually get the Wigobi. You should keep in mind the possibility that it will be more expensive as the Wigobi has not yet been fully resolved in Korea.
If anyone is willing to pay this cost to lose weight, can they prescribe it? Wegobi is actually a prescription drug for patients, unlike diet supplements that are classified as health functional foods. Expert knowledge of the drug’s risks, usage, and dosage is required, so it must be diagnosed by a doctor before it can be administered through a prescription. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) currently recommends weight loss for severely obese patients with a body mass index (BMI, weight divided by the square of height) of 30㎏/㎡ or higher, or patients with a BMI of 27㎏/㎡ or higher and comorbid conditions such as high blood pressure. Prescription is recommended for this purpose. Approximately, a BMI of 90kg for a man with an average height of 173cm and 80kg for a woman of 163cm is equivalent to a BMI of 30.
![[사진=픽사베이]](https://pimg.mk.co.kr/news/cms/202410/19/news-p.v1.20240429.698f9d4174bd472e9842870c62de65fc_P1.jpg)
news/cms/202410/19/news-p.v1.20240429.698f9d4174bd472e9842870c62de65fc_R.jpg" data-width="1280" data-height="853" /> enlarge photo [사진=픽사베이]
Even if it’s a miracle drug There are side effects. Wigobi’s clinical trial results showed that even when obesity treatment drugs are used within the scope of approval, side effects such as headache, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, and hair loss may occur. In severe cases, acute pancreatitis may also occur. People who are not eligible for prescriptions should not use it simply to become slimmer. In light of the previous case of Saxenda, there is considerable concern that cases of abuse will be repeated, with patients easily prescribing and administering the drug for cosmetic purposes even though they are not obese. In preparation for this, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety is said to be cracking down on illegal activities related to Wegobi for a month.
Anyone who has ever dieted will know that the road of a maintainer (a compound word of ‘maintain’ and ‘diet’; a person who steadily maintains the weight loss after losing weight) is longer and more arduous than that of a dieter. So what is important is the ‘yo-yo phenomenon’. If you are thinking about becoming a sustainer, you may have to return the ‘Miracle Medicine’ title. You can achieve weight loss by reducing your appetite with Wegobi, but if you stop taking the drug, your appetite will return to its previous state. Additionally, several studies have shown that significant muscle mass loss occurs during weight loss. Since muscle loss leads to a decrease in basal metabolic rate, there is a high possibility of causing a yo-yo effect. Ultimately, if you think about weight loss and beyond, exercise and lifestyle management are absolutely necessary.
In the United States, where WeGobee was launched for the first time in 2021, there are quite a few interesting anecdotes due to WeGobee’s enormous popularity, so I would like to introduce just a few. Wegobee went viral after Tesla CEO Elon Musk and model and actress Kim Kardashian cited it as their diet secret. In May of this year, it received great attention once again when it was revealed that 25,000 new patients were receiving prescriptions every week in the United States alone. In addition to this, cases of people working two jobs to raise money for Wigobi medication have become known one after another. Recently, research has shown that consumption is shifting to smaller clothing, especially among the wealthy American class, who had the fastest access to Wegobee. There is also news that American luxury clothing companies are quickly jumping into the downsizing trend because of Wegobee.
Lastly, seeing the enormous interest in Wigobi, I wondered why there were so many obese people in our country. I looked it up and found that the domestic adult obesity rate as of 2022 is 37.2%. This means that about 4 out of 10 adults may be interested in WeGobee. However, the current adult obesity rate is defined as a BMI of 25 kg/㎡ or higher. Even if you fall into the statistically obese population, you may not be eligible for the Wegobi prescription recommended by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, so you must check your condition at a medical institution before deciding on medication.
