"Have you gained weight? Let's go get a WeGobee treatment"... In the era of losing weight through injections, the light and dark side of the WeGoBe craze [Weekend Digging]

The World Health Organization (WHO) defined obesity as a disease in 1994. Since then, numerous treatments have appeared, but controversy over side effects has continued as well as weight loss effects. Meanwhile, the situation changed with the advent of Wi Gobi, known as the ‘miracle injection.’ It is attracting attention for its excellent weight loss effect and ease of use, and the perception that we are in the ‘age of weight management with medication’ is gradually spreading. This week, we ‘digged’ into the popularization of obesity pills, which started with Wigobi, and the shadows hidden behind it.

Obesity in the past had more side effects than benefits.

Humanity's first obesity treatment was dinitrophenol (DNP), which appeared in 1933. This drug, which was excellent at reducing weight by artificially increasing metabolism, is now classified as a poison because serious side effects such as increased body temperature, dehydration, and organ damage have been reported.

In the 1950s, drugs such as phentermine, which suppressed appetite by stimulating the sympathetic nervous system or exciting the central nervous system, became popular. Phentermine is a drug called the 'butterfly drug' in Korea, and has been in the spotlight for its excellent appetite suppressing effect. However, long-term use has many side effects such as dry mouth, impatience, and mental illness such as depression, so the FDA has approved it for short-term use only.

In the 1990s, drugs that suppressed appetite by regulating neurotransmitters became mainstream. Fenfluramine and dexfenfluramine gained popularity for their powerful appetite-suppressing effects, but serious cardiovascular side effects, including heart valve disease, were later reported. Belviq, which appeared in the 2010s, also attracted attention for its appetite suppressing and satiety-inducing effects, but was withdrawn from the market after it was found that long-term use increased the risk of cancer.

Wegobee changed the paradigm of the diet market

The starting point for new obesity treatments is GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) analogue, which was developed as a treatment for type 2 diabetes. This hormone is secreted from the intestines when food is consumed, promoting insulin production in the pancreas and lowering blood sugar levels. At the same time, it slows down gastric emptying to increase satiety and suppress appetite, and this action has become a clue to the treatment of obesity. Unlike existing appetite suppressants such as phentermine, which act directly on the central nervous system, GLP-1 analogues mimic natural hormones and have a low risk of addiction and withdrawal.

The first obesity treatment in this class was Saxenda (ingredient name: liraglutide), which was launched in Korea in 2018, but had the inconvenience of having to take daily injections as its half-life was only 24 hours. WiGobee (ingredient name: semaglutide), which appeared later, showed a greater weight loss effect with just one administration per week, greatly increasing convenience, and changing the face of the obesity treatment market.

Wegobee caused a sensation by dominating the market within six months of its domestic release in October last year. In the first quarter of this year, the size of the obesity treatment market exceeded KRW 100 billion for the first time, of which Wegobi sales amounted to KRW 79.4 billion, accounting for 73.2% of the market share.

Shadow of the popularization of Wi Gobi ① Misuse and abuse

Along with the soaring popularity of Wegobee, cases of misuse and abuse are also increasing rapidly, becoming a social problem. Wigobi can only be administered with a doctor's prescription to severely obese patients with a BMI of 30 or higher or a BMI of 27 or higher and who have concomitant diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, or cardiovascular disease. However, it has been pointed out that in reality, there are quite a few cases where people of normal weight who do not meet the standards are prescribed it at hospitals.

In a statement last June, the Citizens' Council for Consumer Sovereignty criticized, "Despite the fact that Wigobi has strict dosage standards based on body mass index (BMI), it is being prescribed indiscriminately for cosmetic purposes, etc." and "The Ministry of Health and Welfare has not even made an official tally on the status of misprescriptions of Wigobi, putting public safety at risk."

Shadow of We Gobi’s popularization ② Illegal distribution

The problem of illegal distribution is also serious. Illegal sales that ignore prescription standards continue to occur online, and from October 2024 to July 2025, the number of online illegal sales and brokerage advertisements of WeGobee detected by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety reaches 62 cases. Illegal trade in obesity treatments was found to have occurred in 184 cafes and blogs (51.3%), 81 online bulletin boards (22.6%), 32 SNS (8.9%) such as KakaoTalk, 31 used trading platforms (8.6%), and online sales sites (8.6%).

In particular, phrases such as ‘Share genuine Wigobi’, ‘Can be purchased without a prescription’, and ‘Overseas direct purchase agency’ are still being circulated openly in KakaoTalk open chat rooms and Instagram DMs. It is known that they gain trust by abusing genuine images and conduct transactions through clever techniques such as transferring funds to personal accounts.

Shadow of We Gobi’s popularization ③Similar products

Similar products that have taken advantage of Wegobee's popularity are also spreading rapidly. Advertisements with phrases such as ‘Film-type WiXB’ and ‘Oral GLP-1’ can be easily searched on YouTube, Naver blog, and SNS shopping malls.

The problem is that most of these products do not contain semaglutide, a key ingredient in Wegobee. If you look at the ingredient list, it often contains only ingredients at the level of health functional foods, such as lactic acid bacteria, green tea extract, and garcinia cambogia.

Experts point out that such advertising can cause confusion among consumers and, in some cases, lead to legal problems. Lawyer Lee Il-hyeong (Daeryun Law Firm), a former pharmacist, emphasized, “If the product induces sales by creating confusion as if it has a similar effect to Wigobi, it may be an act of consumer deception under the Food Labeling and Advertising Act,” and added, “More precise measures are needed to protect consumers.”

There is no medicine to lose weight without side effects.

Maunjaro (ingredient name: terzepatide), a next-generation obesity treatment drug recently known to have a stronger weight loss effect than WeGobee, is scheduled to be launched in Korea in the middle of this month. Terzepatide is a dual agonist that simultaneously activates GLP receptors, unlike semaglutide, which only activates GLP-1, and recorded a higher weight loss rate than Wigobi in clinical trials.

However, the GLP-1 series is also not safe from side effects. According to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, more than 143 side effects were reported from October of last year, when Wigobi was sold in Korea, to March of this year. The European Medicines Agency warned of the possibility of a rare side effect that could cause vision loss, and data from the UK Medicines Agency also counted about 400 cases of acute pancreatitis across drugs in the same class.

Experts warn that you must weigh the pros and cons before using weight loss drugs. Choi Hyeong-jin, a professor at the Department of Medical Science at Seoul National University, said, "We Gobi helps control blood sugar levels and improves cardiovascular disease, so it is a useful drug for patients who need it." He also pointed out, "Among the side effects, a decrease in muscle mass is a particular problem, and if it decreases beyond the standard, it is harmful to health. Using it for cosmetic purposes causes more harm than good." Professor Choi said, “I hope that people do not pursue beauty at the expense of their health,” and added, “Some doctors who provide medicine to patients who request prescriptions for beauty purposes should also stick to their original role of prioritizing the patient’s health.”

Reporter Seong Min-seo (sms@fnnews.com)

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"Have you gained weight? Let's go get a WeGobee treatment"... The era of weight loss through injections, the light and dark side of the WeGoBe craze [Weekend Digging] (Shortcut)