“A friend of mine got this for me because I was lately depressed for having put on weight,” a woman brazenly boasted on Instagram, her thin wrist holding a Saxenda pen. It’s illegal to sell or trade Saxenda between consumers. The secondhand sales of Saxenda is punishable by a maximum five years in prison or 50 million won in fines, according to the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act.

“It has come to our attention that some people, who bought Saxenda expecting dramatic results instead suffered prenotified side effects of nausea and gastric discomfort and decided to resell the unused pens from the pack through social media or the online secondhand market,” said a Korean Medical Association spokesperson. 

Proper use

To prevent illegal trade, the KMA urges patients to always consult a doctor after each Saxenda pen use. The pens each last for six days, used daily with disposable needle tips. Excessive advertising for Saxenda has also been brought under guidelines to abide by medical ethics.

“Advertisements that mislead patients to believe Saxenda can be a guaranteed method to lose weight are deterred,” said the KMA representative. “Behavioral therapy must be paired with Saxenda for promised weight loss effects. If the taker’s lifestyle does not change, Saxenda will only give a temporary result: They will easily revert to their original weight.” Clinical trials have revealed that the Saxenda effect can last up to a year when carried out together with exercise and a healthy diet.

That Saxenda is a subcutaneous self-injectable drug is not an advantage. Patients usually prefer taking pills than having to stick themselves with needles, according to professor Kim. Keeping the pen safe for use is another matter. The pen must be kept refrigerated at all times, and when it has to be carried on a flight it must be in carry-on luggage, preferably with the doctor’s prescription. If traveling with Saxenda to a country with temperatures over 30 degrees Celsius, the injection should be kept in a flask with ice, but not in direct contact with the ice.

Saxenda should not be taken by patients with a history of medullary thyroid carcinoma, a type of thyroid cancer, or Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2, an endocrine system condition.

“We are aware of the overheated attention on Saxenda in Korea as a diet injection, and see this as a problem to address,” a Novo Nordisk Korea representative told The Korea Herald.