Over 1,200 Cases of Acute Pancreatitis After Wegovy and Mounjaro Prescriptions: Adverse Event Statistics Released

Hundreds of patients have reportedly received medical treatment for acute pancreatitis or gallstones after being prescribed obesity treatment injections such as Wegovy and Mounjaro.

According to data submitted by the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service to Representative Nam In-soon of the Democratic Party, a member of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee, 695 patients received treatment for acute pancreatitis following a Wegovy prescription, while 569 patients did so for Mounjaro.

Patients treated for gallstones numbered 3,399 for Wegovy and 2,574 for Mounjaro, while those treated for cholecystitis stood at 806 and 587, respectively.

Patients treated for acute kidney injury were also tallied at 304 for Wegovy and 207 for Mounjaro.

This statistical data covers medical treatments received for related conditions after prescriptions for Wegovy or Mounjaro. The analysis is based on treatment records from October 2024 to August of this year for Wegovy, and from August of last year to August of this year for Mounjaro.

Separately, according to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, adverse event reports for the two drugs in the first half of this year totaled 1,639 cases, with 723 for Wegovy and 916 for Mounjaro.

The commonly reported symptoms for Wegovy included nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, while Mounjaro reports mainly involved injection site pain, bleeding, and nausea.

Representative Nam stated, "As the use of obesity treatments increases, it is necessary to thoroughly check patients' health conditions prior to prescription and monitor them for abnormal symptoms after administration," adding, "The government must also closely analyze adverse event reports and medical treatment data to strengthen safety management."

Reported by Park Se-won | Video by Jang Yu-jin | Graphics by Yang Hye-min | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.