Approved Only for Adults, Yet Mounjaro Prescribed Without Consultation at Pediatric Clinics

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It has been found that the obesity treatment injection Mounjaro is being widely supplied to pediatric and adolescent clinics. With instances of the medication being prescribed without a medical consultation, concerns over its abuse and misuse are growing.

Reporter Park Ha-jeong investigated the matter.

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A pediatric clinic in Gyeonggi Province.

[(What brings you in?) I'm here for a consultation about Mounjaro.]

Guidance begins simultaneously with measuring height and weight.

[Person A / Hospital Staff: The wait is long, so if you don't really need a consultation with the doctor and just want to take it, you can take it right away.]

The refrigerator is packed with injection vials.

Contradicting the notice stating that "the first injection must be administered by a doctor," the staff explains that it is not necessary.

[Person A / Hospital Staff: If you want, you can get the shot here before you leave, or you can just learn how to do it and administer it yourself at home.]

The person explaining how to administer the injection was not a doctor.

[Person B / Hospital Staff: Press firmly with your hand, and in a moment it will beep. That means it's done. Read this and follow the instructions.]

Without ever meeting a doctor, a full box containing four Mounjaro injection vials, equivalent to a one-month supply, is handed over.

Mounjaro, a prescription drug, can induce vomiting, abdominal pain, or in severe cases, pancreatitis, and must therefore strictly undergo medical examination and prescription by a doctor.

From January to July this year, a total of approximately 7.22 million units of Mounjaro were supplied to clinics nationwide, of which about 367,000 units were supplied to pediatric and adolescent clinics.

In South Korea, Mounjaro is approved only for individuals aged 18 and older, as safety and efficacy have not been established for those under 18.

While it is true that patients under 18 are not the only ones treated at pediatric clinics, and that minors can also receive care at internal medicine and other departments, this raises questions about whether proper safety safeguards for minors are operating effectively.

Regulations permit Mounjaro to be administered at hospitals only when a doctor gives the first injection for the purpose of teaching the injection method, but this rule is also being ignored.

[Seo Mi-hwa / National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee Member (Democratic Party): Bitter criticisms continue to emerge that it has degraded from medical treatment into a money-making scheme. Periodic checks on abnormal figures regarding single-prescription amounts or prescription periods at specific medical institutions are necessary, along with other measures....]

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety is pushing to designate Mounjaro as a medication prone to abuse and misuse.

However, critics point out that this amounts to little more than printing guide phrases on packaging, and more active countermeasures are needed.

(Video reporting: Kim Yong-woo | Video editing: Jeong Yong-hwa | Graphics: Seo Seung-hyun)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.