Amid numerous overseas reports of suspected vision loss following the administration of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists for obesity and diabetes, it has been revealed that similar cases have also occurred domestically.

During a parliamentary audit by the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee today (the 13th), Minister of Food and Drug Safety Oh Yu-kyung responded to a question from Rebuilding Korea Party lawmaker Baek Son-hee regarding whether there had been suspected cases of "NAION" vision loss after administering GLP-1 obesity treatments, stating, "One case was reported in December 2024."

NAION, often referred to as a stroke of the eye, is the second leading cause of optic nerve-related blindness after glaucoma.

It can lead to permanent blindness caused by the destruction of the optic nerve due to a lack of blood supply.

In the United States, patients have been filing successive lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies, claiming they suffered vision loss after using GLP-1 receptor agonist obesity and diabetes treatments.

Although a causal relationship between GLP-1 treatments and NAION has not yet been clearly established, the European Medicines Agency classified NAION as a very rare side effect of semaglutide, the main active ingredient in these treatments, in June of last year.

Regarding this, Minister Oh stated, "The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety also approved it as a side effect on the 7th."

She added, "It is now classified as a rare potential side effect."

The distribution volume of GLP-1 obesity treatments in South Korea is growing rapidly.

The distribution volume stood at 160,000 units in October 2024, but surged about 20-fold to approximately 3.12 million units in July of this year.

In June, the ministry announced a preliminary legislative notice for a revision designating GLP-1 obesity treatments as drugs subject to misuse and abuse, but the implementation date has not yet been determined.

Minister Oh noted, "It is currently under review by the Office for Government Policy Coordination."

She added, "We will further explain the necessity of designating them as drugs subject to misuse and abuse during the review process."

Calls were also raised at the National Assembly today emphasizing the need to inspect distribution channels and the scope of approvals.

According to data obtained from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, the volume of GLP-1 obesity treatments supplied to traditional Korean medicine clinics from January to July of this year exceeded 10 times the total volume supplied for the entire previous year, and numerous supplies to dental clinics were also confirmed.

While Mounjaro is not prescribed to individuals under 18, numerous cases of prescriptions issued to teenagers were also identified.

Minister Oh replied, "This is an area that needs to be examined in consultation with the Ministry of Health and Welfare."

(Photo: Yonhap News)