STAT+: Patient groups cheer as the WHO adds diabetes and cystic fibrosis drugs to its essential medicines list
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For the first time, the World Health Organization has added various high-cost treatments for diabetes and cystic fibrosis to its list of essential medicines, a move that patient advocates hope will usher in a new era of more accessible drugs to countless people in low- and middle-income countries.<\/p>\n
First published in 1977, the list<\/a> is used by governments as a guide to improving supply chains and controlling costs. In years past, adding a drug has helped boost access for people in lower-income countries, such as for HIV treatments in the early 2000s. The list has been adopted in more than 150 countries and now includes a total of 523 essential medicines for adults and 374 for children.<\/p>\n The latest version added Eli Lilly\u2019s Mounjaro and Novo Nordisk\u2019s Ozempic to treat type 2 diabetes in conjunction with cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, or obesity. Both drugs belong to a class of medicines known as GLP-1s. The same companies also sell two other such drugs that have been approved by health regulators for combating obesity.<\/p>\n Continue to STAT+ to read the full story\u2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n