Ministry of Health and Welfare Warns Against Misuse of 'WeGoBi' in Telemedicine

Potential Side Effects Must Also Be Explained in Advance

The government has urged caution to prevent the misuse of the obesity treatment drug "Wegovy" during non-face-to-face medical consultations.

Anti-obesity drug Wegovy. Yonhap News

According to the medical community on the 15th, the Ministry of Health and Welfare sent an official letter to each hospital through the Korea Hospital Association, requesting that sufficient medical examinations be conducted to confirm whether patients are eligible when prescribing Wegovy.

Wegovy is an adjunct for weight management in obese patients and is a prescription-only specialized medicine. Both the government and the medical community have repeatedly warned that side effects may occur if used regardless of the patient's condition.

Despite these warnings, some medical institutions have increasingly raised concerns about misuse by prescribing Wegovy through non-face-to-face consultations without adequately assessing the patient's condition.

Through the official letter, the Ministry of Health and Welfare emphasized, "Care should be taken not to promote the drug in a way that patients misunderstand it can be easily prescribed for dieting purposes," and "especially to be cautious to prevent misuse of pharmaceuticals during non-face-to-face consultations."

They also requested that when prescribing Wegovy, the approval conditions of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety be followed, and that patients be informed in advance about possible side effects such as gallbladder disease or pancreatitis.

Domestically, Wegovy can be prescribed to obese patients with a BMI of 30 or higher, or overweight patients with a BMI between 27 and 30 who have accompanying conditions such as hypertension or dyslipidemia.

Since its official launch in Korea in mid-last month, Wegovy has gained popularity as a "weight loss drug," but the Korean Society for the Study of Obesity and the Korean Medical Association have collectively voiced concerns about its misuse.

During the National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee's audit, there were calls to restrict the prescription of Wegovy during non-face-to-face consultations, and the Ministry of Health and Welfare is currently reviewing whether to limit non-face-to-face prescriptions of Wegovy.