Ozempic ingredient Added to whom essential medicine list
The World Health Organization has recently made an important addition to its list of essential medicines by including GLP-1 medicines to treat diabetes. This move is aimed at improving global access to these expensive drugs, alongside treatments for cystic fibrosis and cancer.
The list, which consists of 523 medicines for adults and 374 for children, serves as a catalog of medications that must be available in all functioning health systems. In the past, the WHO has successfully contributed to increasing access to essential medicines for people in poorer countries, such as HIV treatments in the early 2000s.
Dr. Lorenzo Moja, who oversees the list at the WHO, stated that inclusion in the list of essential medicines can potentially act as a catalyst for improving access to these vital drugs. The Expert Committee has added active ingredients from Mounjo Nordisk’s Ozempic and Eli Lilly to treat type 2 diabetes in combination with established cardiovascular diseases, chronic kidney disease, or obesity.
While these drugs were initially developed for diabetes, they have also gained popularity as weight loss medications under different brand names. Despite this, the WHO decided not to add them to treat obesity alone, as they did in 2023. The committee emphasized that their decision was based on clear guidelines to ensure that patients would benefit the most from these therapies.
High prices of medicines like Semaglutide and Tirzepatide have been identified as a barrier to access, according to the WHO. Encouraging generic drug manufacturers to produce these medications when their patents expire next year could help address this issue. Novo Nordisk, a leading pharmaceutical company, has expressed its commitment to supporting broader access to their treatments.
In addition to diabetes medications, the WHO has also included Vertex Pharmaceutical’s combination therapy for Cystic fibrosis, Trikafta or Kaftrio, on the list. This decision is particularly significant given the criticism surrounding the high price and limited accessibility of these treatments in the past.
Furthermore, the list features Merck’s Keytruda, the best-selling immunotherapy drug, for the treatment of various cancers. Additionally, quickly acting insulin analogues from Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly have been added for the treatment of type 1, type 2, and pregnancy-related diabetes.
Overall, the WHO’s decision to expand its list of essential medicines to include these critical treatments underscores the organization’s commitment to improving global health outcomes and increasing access to life-saving medications for all.
