WHO to Consider Adding Obesity Drugs to 'Essential' Medicines List
Overview
The World Health Organization said that anti-obesity drugs may for the first time be included on
the organization's "list of Essential Medicines", a list that is
guided by the governments of low-and middle-income countries when making
purchasing decisions.
Saxenda Drug
3 doctors and a
researcher in the United States applied to study the inclusion of anti-obesity
drugs. The demand includes the active ingredient "liraglutide" in the drug "Saxenda"
produced by the company Novo Nordisk whose exclusive use rights will soon
expire, which will allow the production of less expensive universal types of
it.
The commission may
reject the proposal or wait for more research evidence to emerge. If the World
Health Organization decides to include the drug "Saxenda" and other
similar drugs on the list, this will mark a new approach for the organization
to obesity at the global level.
Wigovy Drug
This may also pave
the way for the recommendation of a newer and more powerful drug from Novo
Nordisk under the name "wegovy" to low-and middle-income countries in
the future.
But some public
health experts warn against offering these drugs too widely, as a solution to a
complex condition that is not yet fully understood.
A WHO spokesperson
said: "Obesity is a health problem, the importance of which is increasing
in many countries .. Obesity medications are of course only one aspect of
dealing with it, and Prevention is also necessary," he said.
According to the
World Health Organization, more than 650 million adults around the world are
obese, which is 3 times what was recorded in 1975, and an estimated 1.3 billion
more are overweight. The majority of them, or an estimated 70%, live in low-and
middle-income countries.
It is worth mentioning that the World Obesity Federation, in its Atlas issued in 2023, warned of the prevalence of obesity, which by 2035 will reach more than half of the world's population, approximately 51%, especially among children and in low-income countries.
Source: Reuters
