WHO Recommends Popular Weight-Loss Drugs as Essential Medicines

TDT | Manama

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The World Health Organization (WHO) has, for the first time, recommended a new generation of weight-loss drugs to treat diabetes and obesity globally. The agency also called for affordable generic versions to be made available for people in developing countries.

These drugs, known as GLP-1 agonists, include brands like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro. They have grown in popularity due to their ability to help people lose significant amounts of weight.

According to WHO figures, more than 3.7 million people died in 2021 from illnesses linked to being overweight or obese—more than the combined deaths from malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV.

However, the high cost of GLP-1 drugs—over $1,000 per month in the United States—has raised concerns that they may not reach poorer countries where they could save the most lives.

On Friday, the WHO added semaglutide (found in Ozempic and Wegovy) and tirzepatide (used in Mounjaro) to its list of essential medicines for adults worldwide. The agency encouraged generic competition to help lower prices and make these “life-saving” treatments accessible.

Research suggests generic semaglutide could be produced in India for as little as $4 per month, according to Andrew Hill, a pharmacology researcher at Liverpool University. He urged pharmaceutical companies to make their treatments affordable worldwide.

The patent for semaglutide is set to expire next year in countries including Canada, India, and China, which could boost generic production.

Originally developed for diabetes, GLP-1 drugs have also shown potential benefits for other health issues, including addiction. A recent study in the JAMA medical journal found that patients with heart problems who took these drugs had more than a 40% lower risk of hospitalization or premature death.

Currently, one in eight people worldwide are obese, and more than 800 million people were living with diabetes in 2022, according to the WHO.

The WHO also updated its essential medicines list to include a range of cancer drugs.