Hospitals in South Korea have begun taking advance reservations for Eli Lilly’s weight-loss drug Mounjaro, which is set to launch next week. Novo Nordisk, whose Wegovy has dominated the Korean market since its debut last year, has responded by cutting prices, setting the stage for a direct showdown between the two global blockbusters.
Some clinics are offering a four-week supply of Mounjaro 2.5 mg for about $270, and 5 mg for roughly $350, including the prescription. Delivery is expected to begin August 19 for patients who have reserved in advance.
Mounjaro’s wholesale price is set at approximately $215 for the 2.5 mg dose and $285 for 5 mg — undercutting Wegovy. Only lower doses will be available at launch, with higher doses to follow.
In response, Novo Nordisk has reduced Wegovy’s wholesale price by up to 40%, from about $285 per pen across all strengths. Some clinics are already offering the lowest dose at around $185, down from the previous retail range of roughly $300 to $550.
Mounjaro is a dual-agonist that targets both GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) and GIP (glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide) receptors, producing greater weight-loss results than GLP-1-only drugs like Wegovy. In a 72-week head-to-head trial of 751 adults with obesity, Mounjaro patients lost an average of 20.2% of their body weight, compared to 13.7% for Wegovy.
In the U.S., sold under the brand name Zepbound, Mounjaro has already surpassed Wegovy, capturing about 60% of the GLP-1 obesity drug market in the first quarter of this year, according to IQVIA data cited by Lilly.
Novo Nordisk notes that its STEP1 trial showed one in three patients lost more than 20% of body weight after 68 weeks, and emphasizes that Wegovy is the only GLP-1-based weight-loss drug approved to reduce the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events.
While analysts say pricing will be a decisive factor in market share, the rapid growth of the obesity drug market has sparked concerns over safety and misuse. Both drugs can cause gastrointestinal side effects such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation, along with fatigue, headache, dizziness, gallstones, cholecystitis, and pancreatitis.
The drugs are intended for adults with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher, or 27 or higher with weight-related health conditions such as hypertension or diabetes. However, reports suggest some clinics have prescribed Wegovy without BMI screening, prompting warnings about overprescribing.
In the U.S., Wegovy’s list price is roughly $1,350 per month, significantly higher than the newly discounted entry-level cost in South Korea, which now starts at about $185 per month. This means Wegovy is approximately 630% more expensive in the U.S. than in South Korea at the current entry-level price.
