Hanmi obesity drug's first-month supply price reported at 129,800 won

Hanmi Pharmaceutical's obesity drug Epe (에페), containing efpeglenatide, is reported to have a projected first-month supply price of 129,800 won ahead of a possible launch this month. Yonhap reported the figure on October 14, citing the pharmaceutical industry. Hanmi said supply prices differ from the prices patients actually pay and that it could not disclose them because doing so might create confusion. [ 1 , 5 ]

Yonhap reported four-week supply costs of 228,800 won for weeks five through eight, 277,200 won for weeks nine through twelve and 299,200 won at the subsequent maintenance dose. Other outlets carried the same figures, but some presented them as projected patient costs. Hanmi cautioned that final charges depend on medical institutions and their treatment and prescribing arrangements. The company said Epe is a prescription medicine that is not covered by health insurance. [ 2 , 4 , 5 ]

At the reported starting price, Epe's first four weeks would cost roughly half the approximately 270,000-won lowest-dose four-week supply figure cited for Mounjaro. Yonhap cited a corresponding Wegovy figure of about 210,000 won. Maeil Business reported that the price gap narrows as doses increase and cautioned that distribution prices and pharmacy charges may differ. The reports present price competitiveness as a potential selling point in a market already served by those imported drugs. [ 1 , 5 ]

Epe received approval from South Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety on October 7 and could be supplied to the domestic market as early as this month, Asia Economy and Newsis reported. The medicine is a once-weekly GLP-1 treatment developed using Hanmi's own drug-delivery platform. Hanmi said it had prioritised patient access when setting prices, while repeating that its supply price does not determine the final patient bill. [ 3 , 4 ]