RHHBF - Weight loss drugs excluded from WHO's 'essential' medicines list

2023-07-26 15:04:29 ET

The World Health Organization updated its Essential Medicines List on Wednesday without adding a class of weight loss medications called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists as a treatment for obesity.

The list designed to guide state procurement decisions in low- and middle-income countries was reviewed by an expert panel of the WHO after considering 85 applications for new medicines.

The updated list, compiled after a meeting held in April at the WHO headquarters in Geneva, includes 24 new medicines for adults and 12 new medicines for children.

Newly added medicines include three drugs that can delay or slow the neurological disorder multiple sclerosis.

They include cladribine, glatiramer acetate, and rituximab, which are sold as Mavenclad by EMD Serono/Merck KGaA ( OTCPK:MKGAF ) ( OTCPK:MKKGY ), Copaxone by Teva Pharma ( TEVA ), and MabThera/Rituxan by Roche ( OTCQX:RHHBF ) ( OTCQX:RHHBY ), respectively.

An antibody combo comprising atoltivimab, maftivimab, and odesivimab marketed by Regeneron ( REGN ) as Inmazeb against the Ebola virus has also been added alongside another antibody therapy called anzuvimab, Reuters reported.

Ahead of the meeting, a group of U.S. doctors and researchers requested that the WHO consider liraglutide on the list. The GLP-1 agonist marketed by Novo Nordisk ( NVO ) as Saxenda for weight loss has recently led to regulatory concerns over its potential link to suicidal thoughts.

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