South Korea eases import curbs on weight-loss drugs

Detailed summary

South Korea will allow travelers to bring personally prescribed weight-loss drugs, including Mounjaro and Wegovy, into the country starting Thursday, easing restrictions that have…

South Korea will allow travelers to bring personally prescribed weight-loss drugs, including Mounjaro and Wegovy, into the country starting Thursday, easing restrictions that have prevented patients from carrying medication legally obtained overseas.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and the Korea Customs Service announced Wednesday that travelers would be permitted to bring in medicines for personal treatment if the products are officially approved by the regulatory authorities of the country where they were purchased and obtained through legitimate medical prescriptions and purchases.

Under the revised rules, travelers may generally bring in up to six bottles or containers of medication. For quantities exceeding that limit, customs authorities will assess whether the amount falls within a three-month treatment supply based on the prescribed dosage.

For example, patients prescribed Mounjaro as a once-weekly, single-use injection may bring in up to 12 doses, equivalent to three months of treatment.

For multidose products, the permitted quantity will be determined by the prescribed dosing schedule and amount of medication rather than simply by the number of packages.

The relaxed rules also cover medicines purchased through legitimate prescriptions while traveling abroad, as well as medication originally taken out of South Korea and brought back by returning travelers.

Foreign nationals and students who have been receiving medical treatment overseas will likewise be allowed to carry their prescribed medicines into the country.

The changes follow complaints from patients whose legally prescribed medication had been held up at customs despite being intended for personal treatment.

Previously, popular weight-loss drugs such as Mounjaro and Wegovy were included on a list of products flagged by South Korea’s drug regulator as potentially hazardous, restricting both travelers from carrying them into the country and consumers from ordering them directly from overseas sellers.

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