Seoul, Korea – A wave of side-effect reports has cut anti-obesity drug sales in Korea and overseas.

On July 5, news from the industry is that this year’s first quarter sales of fat-loss items is 20 trillion KRW (20,017,560,000), a figure 9.59 percent less than last year.

This shrinking number first showed a downward trend in last year’s second quarter, when sales were recorded at 28 trillion KRW (28,355,850,000), a decrease from the preceding quarter. In the third quarter, numbers shrank to 27 trillion 317 billion KRW (27,317,780,000). The fourth quarter saw a noticeable drop to 23 trillion 324 billion KRW (23,324,980,000), and the downward trend has continued into this year’s first quarter.

Until just last year, the cumulative market sales volume was 101.1 Billion KRW, an impressive growth from 60.3 Billion KRW in 2006. However, this tremendous annual growth suddenly began to show a gradual downturn beginning in last year’s second semester.

This sudden downturn is linked to news of the possible side effects of a substance present as a main ingredient in the market’s top selling and runner-up products.

The Korean Food and Drug Administration sent warning messages discouraging prescription of Reductil and other Sibutramine-based appetite suppressants, while reviewing the pharmaceutical company Abbott’s Sibutramine Cardiovascular Outcome Trial (SCOUT) before deciding if the drug can continue to be sold.

An official from an anti-obesity pharmaceutical company was interviewed as having noticed a sharp drop since “the recent succession of negative side effects surrounding the drug.” And the industry was “closely watching what the health authorities have planned in relation to this.”


Source: JTN (Original article in Korean)
Translated by Abe Jung / Korea.com