"WHO Considers Adding Obesity Medications to Essential Medicines List"
The World Health Organization (WHO) is considering adding obesity drugs to its "essential medicines list" for the first time, which is used to guide government purchasing decisions in low- and middle-income countries. The request to consider obesity drugs was submitted by three doctors and a researcher in the United States, covering the active ingredient liraglutide in Novo Nordisk's obesity drug Saxenda. The panel could reject the request or wait for more evidence. A decision by the WHO to include Saxenda and eventual generics on the list for adults would mark a new approach to global obesity by the health agency.