LLY - WHO to weigh adding obesity therapies to 'essential' medicines list - Reuters

2023-03-29 10:50:46 ET

Weight loss therapies could be, for the first time, part of the World Health Organization's (WHO) "essential medicines list," which guides state procurement decisions in low- and middle-income countries, Reuters reported Wednesday, citing the U.N. agency.

Three doctors and a U.S. researcher have submitted a request to consider obesity drugs in the list as a group of WHO experts is set to review new requests next month for a revised "essential medicines list," due in September.

The requests focus on liraglutide, the active ingredient of Novo Nordisk's ( NVO ) weight loss therapy Saxenda, which is expected to lose market exclusivity soon.

"Obesity is an increasingly important health problem in many countries," a WHO spokesperson said, adding, "medicines for the treatment of obesity are only one aspect of management, of course, and prevention is also crucial."

According to the WHO, the expert panel will review the data behind liraglutide over the coming months. They may also look for a broader assessment of other anti-obesity therapies in the future.

The inclusion could have wider implications similar to the addition of HIV therapies in 2002 to the list, which, according to experts, helped improve the accessibility of those drugs for AIDS patients in poorer countries.

Other leading developers of weight loss medications include Eli Lilly ( NYSE: LLY ), Pfizer ( PFE ), Amgen ( AMGN ), Altimmune ( ALT ), Viking Therapeutics ( VKTX ), Rhythm Pharmaceuticals ( RYTM ), and vTv Therapeutics ( VTV ).

According to the WHO, 650M adults suffer from obesity globally , indicating over a threefold rise from 1975. Another ~1.3B are overweight, with low- and middle-income countries accounting for 70% of that population.

Morgan Stanley estimated last year global obesity drug market could reach $54B by 2030.

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