South Korea sees surge in obesity drug prescriptions among young adults

In South Korea, the GLP‑1 obesity drugs Mounjaro and Wegovy have been prescribed more than 1.5 million times within ten months of their launch, with 46 % of those prescriptions to people in their 20s and 30s. Teen usage has risen sharply, with monthly prescriptions for the age group increasing 1.5‑fold this year.

Doctors report that many prescriptions are issued without thorough assessment, and online chat groups share tips on obtaining the drugs and locating permissive prescribers. The government response so far has been limited to adding warning labels, though officials are reviewing plans to classify GLP‑1 treatments as drugs prone to misuse and to tighten prescription controls.