The inclusion of obesity drugs in the WHO’s list of essential medicines could be very important for that population. Experts say adding HIV drugs to the list in 2002 helped make them more widely available to AIDS patients in poor countries.
“Currently,[the list]does not include any drugs that specifically target weight loss for the ongoing global burden of obesity,” said US researcher Sanjana Garimella from Yale New Haven Health and the University of California, San Francisco. Written by Sandeep Kishore. WHO partners in request to add more. He did not respond to Reuters requests for comment.
They argue that while the list includes mineral supplements for nutritional deficiencies, the lack of weight loss treatments represents an “anomaly” in global health equity, given the growing number of deaths in poor countries from weight-related disease. Has been intensified, in which heart disease and diabetes.
Saxenda, a once-daily injection, has been shown to help people lose 5 percent–10 percent of their body weight, for $450 per month in the United States and $150 per month in Europe.
People using weekly injections of Vegovy, which cost more than $1,300 per month in the United States, have lost 15 percent of their weight. Currently, Wegovy is in short supply and Novo is prioritizing its launch and distribution in the US and other wealthier markets.
The Danish drugmaker said in a statement that it was not involved in the application to consider liraglutide for inclusion on the WHO list, adding: “We welcome the WHO review and look forward to the readout and decision.”