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WHO Adds GLP-1s to Essential Medicines List
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Key Takeaways
- WHO added GLP-1 medications for diabetes to its essential medicines list to enhance access in low-income regions despite high costs.
- GLP-1 drugs, initially for diabetes, are popular for weight loss, causing high demand, prices, and occasional shortages.
WHO designates GLP-1 medications for diabetes as essential, aiming to improve access and affordability for patients worldwide.
The drugs were added for the treatment of diabetes.
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GLP-1 medications are officially essential.
The World Health Organization (WHO) announced that it has placed GLP-1 medications for the treatment of diabetes on its essential medicines list. This is a list of drugs and medications that the organization believes should be available in a functioning healthcare system. According to the organization, adding a drug to this list helps increase access to patient populations in low income areas.
The WHO hopes this action will have the same reaction for GLP-1 medication.
In a statement to Reutuers, a WHO spokesperson said that the high prices of these medications are a limiting factor for access. “Rather than letting price be a disqualifying factor, the committee views inclusion in the essential medicines list as a potential catalyst for access,” Dr Lorenzo Moja, head of the WHO secretariat overseeing the list, told Reuters.1
GLP-1 medications were initially developed as treatment for diabetes, but they have become massively popular due to their impact on weight loss. The drugs typically cause a reduction in appetite, and they have been approved to treat obesity. The popularity has sparked an increase in people reducing body fat across the country, but it has also resulted in high prices and even drug shortages.
While the introduction of GLP-1 medications to the market has helped with access issues, the drugs are still expensive, especially for people who don’t have good healthcare coverage.
Access to these medication also varies depending on what they’re being prescribed for. Insurance providers were quick to offer programs that included GLP-1 medications for weight-loss last year, but that trend has started to reverse this year. This has forced many patients taking the drugs to adjust either their dosage or finances in order to afford the out-of-pocket costs.
Both Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk offer GLP-1 medications through their own digital pharmacies, with DTC pricing. However, even when purchasing these drugs directly from the drug makers, they can still cost hundreds of dollars a month. While insurance providers are more likely to cover the drugs when prescribed for diabetes, the demand is still high and prices are still expensive.
It's important to note that the WHO did not add GLP-1 medications as an essential medication when used for weight-loss alone. According to WHO, there are 800 million people living with diabetes across the planet. Meanwhile, there are over 1 billion people suffering from obesity globally. The WHO has recognized the importance of the drugs’ ability to treat obesity, but it has yet to actually put them on the essential medications list.
WHO also added Vertex Pharmaceutical’s cystic fibrosis treatment to the list, as it has also been noted for a having a high price that limits accessibility. Keytruda is also a new addition to the essential medication list.
Source
- WHO adds GLP-1 drugs for diabetes, others to essential medicines list. Reuters. September 5, 2025. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/who-adds-glp-1-drugs-diabetes-others-essential-medicines-list-2025-09-05/
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