Korea's First Domestic Obesity Drug 'Epe' Nears Launch at Around 120,000 Won for the First Month

Lower initial price than Wegovy and Mounjaro
Hanmi Pharmaceutical: "Priced with patient access in mind"

Hanmi Pharmaceutical's Epe, the first domestically developed novel obesity drug, is expected to launch with a first-month treatment cost in the 120,000-won range. By setting its initial cost lower than those of competing products Wegovy and Mounjaro, the drug is expected to target the domestic obesity treatment market.

According to the pharmaceutical industry on October 14, Hanmi Pharmaceutical recently set Epe's distribution price for the initial treatment phase at 129,800 won per month. From the second month, when the dosage increases, a monthly price in the 200,000-won range will apply. The initial treatment cost is 37% lower than Wegovy's and 53% lower than Mounjaro's.

Hanmi Pharmaceutical's "Epe." Hanmi Pharmaceutical

Hanmi Pharmaceutical said, "Epe is a new drug developed to provide a new obesity treatment option, and we set its price with patient access as our top priority, in line with the purpose of its development. We will focus on the value of improving public health rather than simply competing on price."

However, the company said, "Epe is a prescription drug not covered by insurance, and the company's supply price is not the same as the final cost patients pay at medical institutions. The amount patients pay may vary depending on the medical institution's consultation and prescription practices."

Epe is a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) obesity treatment administered once a week and developed using Hanmi Pharmaceutical's proprietary platform technology, Labscoury. It received product approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety on October 7 and is expected to be supplied to the domestic market as early as the end of October.

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