Our View on the Use of Mounjaro for Cosmetic Purposes

The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare warns against off-label use of Mounjaro. Why our clinic does not introduce it, considering health risks

The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has recently issued a notice to medical institutions calling for appropriate use of the type 2 diabetes drug “Mounjaro,” asking that it be refrained from forcosmetic and weight-loss purposes.。

Since our opening, our clinic has not handled GLP-1/GIP-type drugs including Mounjaro for cosmetic or slimming purposes, and we have no plans to introduce them at present.

I would like to share my thoughts as Director on the reasons for this.

At Cleo Beauty Clinic in Shinsaibashi, Osaka, we provide treatment to realize ideal beauty while prioritizing patient safety.

Reason 1: We believe use in people other than the intended target disease should be approached with caution

Mounjaro is a drug approved as a treatment for type 2 diabetes.

Among GLP-1 receptor agonists, some, such as Wegovy, are also approved as treatments for obesity disease.

Even in that case, however, the target is people who are medically diagnosed with “obesity disease” and judged to be indicated for drug treatment.

Even among the same GLP-1-type drugs, Mounjaro is approved as a type 2 diabetes treatment, and its indication differs from drugs approved for obesity disease.

In other words, it is not a drug that anyone can use for cosmetic weight loss or so-called dieting.

These drugs are known to potentially cause side effects such as hypoglycemia symptoms, acute pancreatitis, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, and abdominal pain, even when used according to the approved indications, dosage, and administration.

In particular, when used solely for the purpose of losing weight by people who are not diagnosed with type 2 diabetes or obesity disease, or who cannot be said to be medically indicated for drug treatment, their safety and efficacy have not been sufficiently confirmed.

In medical practice, it is necessary to judge carefully, taking into account not only the expected effects but also possible side effects and long-term effects.

At present, our clinic believes that using these drugs for cosmetic or slimming purposes in people of normal weight, or in people not medically diagnosed with obesity disease, does not balance risk and benefit.

Reason 2: Medicines should reliably reach the patients who truly need them

Another reason is the stable supply of medicines.

It is extremely important that medicines reach, continuously and stably, the patients who originally need that treatment.

For that purpose, many people, including pharmaceutical companies, manufacturers, and drug wholesalers, work day and night.

In recent years, shortages in the supply of generic drugs have become a social problem, and situations have occurred in which medicine could not be delivered to the patients who needed it.

For Mounjaro as well, if demand in self-pay care expands, there is a non-zero risk that it will not be possible to supply enough to patients who truly need diabetes treatment.

We believe that excessive expansion of demand for cosmetic and slimming purposes affecting supply to patients who truly need treatment should be avoided by medical care as a whole.

Aesthetic medicine is also part of medical care.

Our clinic values“supporting patients so that they can achieve their ideal beauty with peace of mind,”but for that, we cannot do without a perspective on how medicines should be used appropriately by society as a whole, not only the immediate cosmetic effect.

We believe that medical care that could lead to disadvantage for patients who truly need therapeutic drugs is not consistent with our clinic’s medical policy.

Even with self-pay care, the responsibility of medical professionals does not become lighter

Each medical institution differs in its treatment content, judgment of indications, and policy for explaining risks.

For that reason, we do not uniformly deny medical institutions that handle GLP-1 receptor agonists and similar drugs in self-pay care.

On the other hand, when they are provided as “a drug to lose weight easily” or “a diet drug anyone can use” without sufficient examination or explanation of risks, it may be a disadvantage to patients.

Also, being self-pay does not mean that the responsibility on the medical side becomes lighter.

We believe that the idea that “because it is self-pay, it is fine at the patient’s own risk if the patient wants it” is not appropriate as medical care.

Even for treatment that is not covered by insurance, a doctor has the responsibility to judge medical indications, explain risks, and perform treatment with consideration for safety.

Even if it is a treatment the patient wishes for, if it is judged to be medically inappropriate or the disadvantages outweigh the benefits, deciding not to provide it is also the responsibility of the medical professional.

When receiving aesthetic medicine, it is important to judge not only “whether it is effective” but also

• whether the treatment is truly necessary for you,
• whether it is medically indicated,
• whether you have been sufficiently explained about side effects and long-term risks,
• and whether there is a system in place to respond appropriately if a side effect should occur.

These points are also important to consider.

Of course, safety standards, management policies, and treatment policies differ from clinic to clinic.

We do not categorically deny medical institutions that handle Mounjaro in self-pay care.

However, it is also a fact that there are not a few aesthetic clinics that provide diet drugs relatively casually without sufficient explanation of risks.

Precisely because it is aesthetic medicine, we would like patients to have the perspective of not only “can I lose weight” but also “is this medical care truly safe” and “is it beneficial in the long term.”

Our Future Policy

This notice from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare was an opportunity to reconfirm the thinking our clinic has always valued.

Introducing it because it is trendy.
Introducing it because many patients request it.

Our clinic does not provide medical care for such reasons alone.

As a result of comprehensive judgment from the perspectives of safety, medical validity, long-term benefit to patients, and appropriate use of medical resources, our clinic still does not introduce GLP-1/GIP-type drugs including Mounjaro for cosmetic or slimming purposes.

Going forward as well, we will carefully choose our medical practice, putting first whether it is truly beneficial medical care for patients, rather than topicality or temporary trends.

Director Motomura, Cleo Beauty Clinic