As issues have been raised recently over some clinics and hospitals violating the principle of separating prescribing and dispensing by selling obesity self-injections, such as Wegovy and Mounjaro, on-site, the government has launched on-site inspections.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced that it is pursuing direct on-site inspections to eradicate illegal on-site dispensing and sales practices.

Self-injections are prescription drugs designed for patients to administer themselves. Under the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act, they must be sold to patients through a pharmacist's dispensing based on a doctor's prescription.

However, cases where medical institutions "administer the injection on-site" to educate patients on injection methods qualify as exceptions to the separation of prescribing and dispensing.

On-site dispensing and sales are permitted only when administering the injection within a clinic or hospital to educate patients on how to use the obesity self-injection.

Recently, however, there has been a sharp increase in cases where some medical institutions directly sell obesity self-injections on-site without actually administering them to patients.

In response, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, together with local governments, has decided to conduct on-site inspections targeting medical institutions with the highest nationwide supply volumes suspected of on-site dispensing and sales of obesity self-injections.

If violations of the principle of separating prescribing and dispensing are uncovered, the ministry plans to take measures such as fines or suspension of qualifications in accordance with relevant laws.

(Photo: Yonhap News)