Eppe price at Korean clinics runs 26 to 44 percent under Wegovy and Mounjaro

Hanmi Pharmaceutical's new obesity injection costs less in its first month than the two imported drugs it competes with at Korean clinics. The eppe price for month one ran from about 160,000 won ($119.59) to 200,000 won on Doctornow listings checked on Monday, November 2, which puts it 26 to 30 percent under Wegovy and 41 to 44 percent under Mounjaro, Korea Biomedical Review reported. Every patient in this comparison pays the full amount, because none of the three drugs is covered for obesity in Korea.

What the first month costs on Doctornow

Eppe is the brand name for efpeglenatide, a once weekly GLP 1 injection that Hanmi developed in Korea. The company launched it on Thursday, October 29, after the drug won Korean approval on October 7, and it is the first GLP 1 obesity treatment developed in the country. Four days after launch, Korea Biomedical Review checked Doctornow, a Korean telemedicine app that shows what partner clinics charge, for clinics in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province. Eppe starts on a low strength for two weeks and then a higher one for two more. Two pens of the starting strength were usually listed at about 60,000 to 80,000 won, and two pens of the second strength mostly sat at about 100,000 to 120,000 won.

Added together, those two steps give a first month eppe price of roughly 160,000 to 200,000 won. Rival listings on the same app were higher. Four weeks of Wegovy at its starting dose was generally shown at about 228,000 to 270,000 won, and four weeks of Mounjaro at its starting dose at roughly 288,000 to 340,000 won. At the low end, eppe is 30 percent cheaper than Wegovy and 44 percent cheaper than Mounjaro. At the high end, the gaps narrow to 26 and 41 percent. We rechecked the arithmetic and it matches the published figures. The report did not say whether consultation fees are included in any of these listed amounts.

Why the first month is not the whole bill

The comparison has limits that matter for anyone planning a year of treatment. Each clinic or hospital sets its own price, so the same pens can cost more or less across town, and the Doctornow listings cover one app in two regions. The bigger caveat is timing. The three drugs climb to full strength on different timetables, so a first month compares different stages of treatment. Eppe moves through four rising strengths over about twelve weeks before it reaches its maintenance dose, while Wegovy and Mounjaro step up in blocks of at least four weeks. Korea Biomedical Review noted that first month figures therefore do not directly show what each drug costs over the longer term.

At the low end, eppe is 30 percent cheaper than Wegovy and 44 percent cheaper than Mounjaro.

The listings also say nothing about the monthly bill once patients reach higher strengths, and the report gave no maintenance prices for any of the three drugs. Our launch week report covered industry estimates for both phases, but clinic listings can differ from such figures. Cost shapes whether people stay on these medicines. In a survey of 501 adults covered here last week, cost was the top reason people with type 2 diabetes gave for stopping a GLP 1 drug. A cheaper first month may lower the barrier to starting eppe. Whether the eppe price keeps people on treatment depends on what they pay months later, and this survey of listings did not capture that.

Obesity drug reimbursement in Korea is still pending

For now, the whole gap lands on patients. All three drugs are paid out of pocket when doctors prescribe them for obesity in Korea, according to the report, so patients carry the listed clinic price themselves. That could change for one rival. Novo Nordisk has applied for reimbursement of Wegovy for certain patients with severe obesity who also have related illnesses. Lilly Korea is separately seeking reimbursement for Mounjaro, but in type 2 diabetes rather than obesity. The report gave no decision date for either application, and it did not describe any plan by Hanmi to seek cover for eppe. Until a payer steps in, cash Wegovy and Mounjaro prices remain the benchmark that clinics and patients compare against.

If Wegovy wins cover for that narrow group, the comparison could change for those patients, since a covered drug may cost them less than a cheaper drug they pay for in full. The Wegovy bid, as reported, would not reach patients outside that group. Other countries show how tight such decisions can be. Belgium's health minister ruled out obesity cover for Mounjaro while diabetes cover stayed in place, and Cyprus ties its obesity cover to weight loss targets and a time limit. These cases do not predict what Korea will decide. They do show that obesity drug reimbursement for a subgroup rarely means broad access, so patients outside any covered group would keep paying cash.

What remains unknown about eppe pricing

Several gaps limit what readers can take from these listings. The check reflects one day, one app and two regions, and prices outside Seoul and Gyeonggi Province were not reported. It is not clear how many clinics stock eppe yet, how closely the app matches what clinics charge at the desk, or whether a consultation fee sits on top. The report did not give Hanmi's supply price to clinics, so the split between the maker's price and the clinic margin is unknown. Listings taken days after a launch may not hold, and only later checks will show whether the eppe price stays this far below the imported drugs.

For prescribers, the practical point is that the cheapest first month is not the same as the cheapest course of treatment. A fair comparison over a full year would need maintenance prices, the time each patient spends at each strength, and how many patients stay on the drug. None of that appears in the current listings. The three medicines also differ in how much weight people lose and in side effects, and this report did not address those questions, so price alone should not settle a choice. Patients weighing a switch or a first prescription should discuss the full expected cost and the clinical evidence with their own doctor before deciding.

Conclusion

The eppe price at Seoul and Gyeonggi clinics starts 26 to 44 percent below Wegovy and Mounjaro in the first month, based on one app's listings. Patients pay all three in cash for obesity, and nothing yet shows what eppe costs at maintenance strength. The next facts to watch are clinic prices at higher strengths and the outcome of the Wegovy reimbursement bid. This story is for information only and is not medical advice.