WHO adds weight-loss, diabetes drugs to essential medicines list
Summary
The World Health Organization (WHO) has added drugs for obesity and diabetes to its essential medicines list. These include new diabetes medications from Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, which are also used for weight loss. The WHO aims to make these drugs more accessible, especially in developing countries.Key Facts
- WHO added diabetes and obesity drugs to its essential medicines list.
- The drugs include glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) treatments from Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly.
- GLP-1 drugs are intended for diabetes but are also popular for weight loss.
- WHO focuses on making affordable generic versions available in developing countries.
- Over 800 million people lived with diabetes, and more than a billion were affected by obesity in 2022.
- The essential medicines list guides medicine access in over 150 countries.
- Other added drugs treat cystic fibrosis and various cancers.
- WHO encourages strategies to make high-cost drugs, like cancer therapies, more accessible globally.
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