Japan's Mounjaro is the talk of Taiwan: the price gap, the 6-month rule, and taking it home
Mounjaro from Japan has become a hot topic in Taiwan. The price gap is large, and news reports have featured people bringing home half a year's supply at once. Here's why it's popular, the rules for taking it into Taiwan, and how we can help. (Checked October 21, 2026)
The price gap got people talking
In January 2026, the Taiwanese broadcaster TVBS reported that people from Taiwan were going to Japan to buy it. According to the report, Mounjaro 2.5mg costs about NT$3,800 in Japan, while in Taiwan it can cost NT$11,000–14,000. The report also featured someone who had brought home six months' supply at once.
First-hand stories are popular on PTT, Taiwan's big online forum, too. One user rode a JR Pass to a clinic in a rural area and found one that would prescribe six months' supply. But that clinic required patients to speak "fluent" Japanese.
Many people already buy medicine in Japan
In a 2025 survey by the Japan Tourism Agency, 43.9% of travelers from Taiwan bought medicines in Japan. That's higher than travelers from South Korea (37.1%), China (34.1%), Hong Kong (32.0%), and the US (6.1%). Most of these are drugstore medicines, but the numbers show how much people trust medicine from Japan.
What doctors in Taiwan are concerned about
In Taiwanese news reports, doctors have also raised these points:
- If the cold chain breaks, the medicine can degrade and stop working.
- Don't buy medicine when you don't know where it came from.
- A doctor should prescribe it, set the dose, and keep an eye on how your body responds.
- It's dangerous for people who are already thin.
All of these matter. We're set up to address every one of them (see "How we can help" below).
Rules for taking it into Taiwan
According to Taiwan's customs (Taipei Customs, Customs Administration):
- For injectable medicines, you must carry a prescription or supporting documents.
- You can bring in up to the amount stated in your documents, and no more than 6 months' supply.
- To bring in more than that, you need a permit from the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA), and you must declare it when you arrive.
Mounjaro is one pen a week. Our 6-month supply is 24 pens, which is within the 6-month limit. Even so, you can't bring in more than your documents state.
As for declaring: in June 2026, the TFDA announced it was considering making declaration on arrival mandatory. In September, it explained that if your items and quantities follow the rules, you may use the green lane. But in December 2025, Taipei Customs had urged travelers to get a permit for weight-loss injections and declare them on arrival, so the messages have differed. As of October 21, we haven't found any announcement that mandatory declaration has started. If you're unsure, the safe choice is to declare and show your documents.
How we can help
You don't need to speak Japanese. Video consultations are available in almost any language, including Traditional Chinese, with no appointment needed. You can do it from your hotel room, so there's no need to go from clinic to clinic. If you finish before you leave home, the medicine will already be at your hotel on the day you arrive.
A doctor sees you before prescribing. A Japanese doctor checks your health and decides the dose. If the doctor can't prescribe, you get a full refund. We deliver genuine medicines from Japanese pharmaceutical companies.
Delivered cold, to your hotel. If your consultation ends by 3:00 pm (Japan time), we ship the same day. The day after it ships, Sagawa Express refrigerated delivery brings it to your hotel's front desk. You can also pick it up at our partner clinic in Osaka (Ritz Cosmetic Surgery Osaka, a 5-minute walk from Umeda). If it doesn't reach your hotel before you go home, you get a full refund (conditions apply).
Everything for taking it home is on the same screen as your medicine.
- Doctor's certificate (¥3,000): signed by the doctor, in English and Traditional Chinese, with your name and the medicine's name, strength, and quantity. It's meant to be carried as the supporting document Taiwan asks for. It comes in the same box as your medicine. It doesn't guarantee customs clearance.
- Cooler bags: S (up to 12 pens, ¥500) and M (up to 24 pens, ¥1,000).
- If you choose Taiwan as your destination, the screen tells you right away if you go over 6 months' supply.
Chat with us until you go home. On LINE, WeChat, WhatsApp, or another app you already use, we reply in any language, 10:00 am–7:00 pm (Japan time).
In Japan, we've long offered no-appointment care and same-day shipping: 50,000 orders shipped on the same day in the past two years.
Tips for taking it home
- Take it home in its outer box, with our label still on.
- Pack it in your carry-on bag. Checked bags can get cold enough to freeze it (ask your airline how they handle it).
- Keep the certificate in your carry-on, together with the medicine.
- You can't sell medicine you bring home to anyone else.
On the Mounjaro page, choose your dose and 1 to 6 months' supply. You can add the certificate and a cooler bag on the same screen. How much you can bring in and how to declare it are covered in our Taiwan guide. Not sure how many pens you need, or when you'll be back in Taiwan? Feel free to ask us before you order.
Sources
- TVBS, "瘦瘦針價差近1倍！台人瘋赴日搶購 醫警告「這風險」" (January 6, 2026; in Chinese)
- PTT Lifeismoney, "Re: [情報] 猛健樂合法省2/3 ~ 1/2" (April 23, 2026; in Chinese)
- Japan Tourism Agency, Consumption Trend Survey for Foreigners Visiting Japan, 2025 annual report, Figure 3-1 (in Japanese)
- United Daily News, "民眾自海外攜回瘦瘦針「假自用、真販售」 醫：冷鏈遭破壞恐療效全失" (July 29, 2026; in Chinese)
- Taipei Customs, Customs Administration: medicines for travelers' personal use (in Chinese)
- Central News Agency, "食藥署研商列入境強制申報" (June 19, 2026; in Chinese)
- SET News (September 15, 2026; in Chinese)
- Taipei Customs: notice on weight-loss injections (December 19, 2025; in Chinese)
- Eli Lilly Japan, medical Q&A: taking Mounjaro on a plane when traveling (in Japanese)