UN company urges manufacturing of reasonably priced generics for GLP-1 medication to deal with weight problems and diabetes in creating nations.
Printed On 5 Sep 2025
The World Well being Group (WHO) has added a brand new set of medication for weight problems and diabetes to its important medicines record, alongside therapies for most cancers and cystic fibrosis.
Low cost generic variations of the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) medication must also be made out there for folks in creating nations, the United Nations company mentioned in an announcement on Friday.
Really useful Tales
record of three objectsfinish of record
The record, consisting of 523 medicines for adults and 374 for youngsters, is a list of the medication the WHO believes ought to be out there in all functioning well being methods.
“The brand new editions of important medicines lists mark a major step towards increasing entry to new medicines with confirmed medical advantages and with excessive potential for world public well being impression,” mentioned Yukiko Nakatani, WHO’s assistant director-general for Well being Methods, Entry and Information.
The skilled committee added the lively elements in Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro to the record, to deal with sort 2 diabetes together with established heart problems, continual kidney illness or weight problems.
“Right this moment WHO is releasing the most recent editions of the WHO Mannequin Lists of Important Medicines and Important Medicines for Youngsters.
These lists are amongst WHO’s most vital merchandise, utilized in over 150 nations to form public sector procurement, the provision of medicines, well being…
— World Well being Group (WHO) (@WHO) September 5, 2025
The medicines had been initially developed for diabetes, and have change into wildly common as weight-loss medication, too, beneath totally different model names. However the WHO stopped in need of including them to deal with weight problems alone, because it additionally did in 2023.
The committee mentioned this choice offered clear steerage on which sufferers would most profit from the therapies.
“Excessive costs of medicines like semaglutide and tirzepatide are limiting entry to those medicines,” the WHO assertion added, saying that encouraging generic drugmakers to supply the product would additionally assist when patents start to run out on the medication subsequent yr.
Different additions
Based on the WHO, greater than 800 million folks world wide had been residing with diabetes in 2022, whereas multiple billion persons are affected by weight problems.
Earlier this yr, the organisation introduced plans to advocate the usage of medicines for weight problems, which is separate from their inclusion on the important medicines record.
WHO information exhibits that, in 2021, greater than 3.7 million folks died from circumstances linked to being chubby or overweight – a quantity that exceeds the mixed deaths from malaria, tuberculosis and HIV.
The record additionally consists of Vertex Prescription drugs’ mixture remedy for cystic fibrosis, Trikafta or Kaftrio. Activists have criticised its excessive worth and lack of accessibility for years.
WHO’s record additionally consists of Merck’s top-selling most cancers immunotherapy drug, Keytruda, for the remedy of cervical cancers, colorectal cancers, and non-small cell lung cancers which have unfold, or metastasised. The company additionally really helpful methods to extend entry to this drug.
The WHO additional added rapid-acting insulin analogues, additionally made by Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, amongst others, to the record for treating sort 1, sort 2 and gestational diabetes.
