UN agency urges production of affordable generics for GLP-1 drugs to treat obesity and diabetes in developing countries.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has added a new set of drugs for obesity and diabetes to its essential medicines list, alongside treatments for cancer and cystic fibrosis.
Cheap generic versions of the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) drugs should also be made available for people in developing countries, the United Nations agency said in a statement on Friday.
The list, consisting of 523 medicines for adults and 374 for children, is a catalogue of the drugs the WHO believes should be available in all functioning health systems.
“The new editions of essential medicines lists mark a significant step toward expanding access to new medicines with proven clinical benefits and with high potential for global public health impact,” said Yukiko Nakatani, WHO’s assistant director-general for Health Systems, Access and Data.
