WHO to Consider Adding Obesity Drugs to 'Essential' Medicines List

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Image copyright: Reuters

The Facts

  • The World Health Organization (WHO) is reportedly planning to commence a panel of advisors to review new requests to include weight loss drugs on its "essential medicines list," which is used as a guide for government purchasing decisions in low- and middle-income countries.

  • The request to consider the drugs, including the active ingredient liraglutide in Novo Nordisk's (NOVOb.CO) obesity drug Saxenda, was submitted by three doctors and a researcher in the US.

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The Spin

Narrative A

Drugs like Wegovy, among several others, have proven slightly effective in helping people lose weight while leading to diseases like thyroid cancer and eating disorders. The industry has been a money-making scheme since the inception of weight loss surgeries 70 years ago, and it seems that these new drugs — which cost upwards of $1k or more per month — are Big Pharma's next billion-dollar lie.

Wired

Narrative B

Obesity is one of the deadliest diseases in the world, contributing to millions of deaths annually, but we may finally have the solution to this problem. We now see medications that can aid weight loss and reduce the risk of weight-related complications like diabetes. As for cost, It's time for insurance companies and governments to treat obesity similarly to other diseases so people can finally gain access to their life-saving effects.

Forbes

Narrative C

While weight loss drugs provide a valuable tool in the fight against obesity, they don't tackle the root cause. More must be done to create a multi-faceted approach to preventing obesity in the first place by promoting healthy lifestyles and holding the food industry — which has promoted unhealthy food for years — to account.

Guardian

Metaculus Prediction