Ministry of Food and Drug Safety Uncovers 949 Cases of Illegal Online Sales of GLP-1 Obesity Medications

949 Illegal Posts Violated Pharmaceutical Law

"Must Be Purchased With Prescription From Korean Doctor"

Nearly 1,000 cases have been discovered in which GLP-1 class obesity medications, recently gaining popularity as "weight loss injections," were illegally sold online.

On October 6, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced that, from January 1 to September 30 of this year, it had identified 949 violations of the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act related to the online illegal sale, brokering, and advertising of GLP-1 class obesity medications, including direct overseas purchases. The Ministry has requested the Korea Communications Standards Commission to block access to the implicated online posts.

GLP-1 class medications contain the active ingredient glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1). These drugs help lower weight by increasing insulin secretion and suppressing glucagon secretion according to blood sugar levels, while prolonging the feeling of fullness.

By type, the most common violations were direct online sales and posts introducing sales sites via online message boards, accounting for 716 cases (75.4%). Next were posts introducing or linking to sales sites on online communities and blogs (129 cases, 13.6%), posts guiding users to one-on-one chat accounts through social media (72 cases, 7.6%), and secondhand transactions between individuals (32 cases, 3.4%).

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety pointed out that obesity medications are sometimes misused for cosmetic purposes. As these are prescription drugs, they must be dispensed only with a doctor's prescription at a hospital and used in accordance with the pharmacist's instructions from a pharmacy, strictly following the prescribed dosage and method. Accordingly, the Ministry warned against buying or selling these drugs through personal transactions or overseas online purchases.

In particular, the Ministry explained that products bought directly from overseas have not been approved domestically, so their safety and efficacy have not been fully verified. Additionally, since their manufacturing and distribution processes cannot be confirmed, there is a high risk that these products could be counterfeit or substandard.

Furthermore, GLP-1 class obesity medications are subject to cold chain (refrigerated or frozen) storage requirements. Even if a product is officially distributed overseas, it may be compromised if the appropriate temperature is not maintained during importation to Korea.

An official from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety stated, "GLP-1 class obesity medications must only be used with a doctor's prescription in Korea," adding, "We will continue to protect consumers, ensure a sound distribution order for pharmaceuticals, and provide a safe usage environment."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.