Non-profit Gates Foundation and UN specialized health agency Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) are both mulling strategies to deliver expensive weight-loss drugs popular in rich Western countries to lower-income nations, according to Reuters.
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The aim puts the spotlight on U.S. and foreign pharmaceutical companies, especially Indiana-based Eli Lilly (LLY), which makes the popular weight-loss medications Mounjaro and Zepbound, and Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk (NVO), which produces Wegovy. There is also Orlistat by Swiss drugmaker Roche (RHBBY).
Bill Gates, who is the founder of U.S. tech giant Microsoft (MSFT) and chairman of the Gates Foundation, said the non-profit is aiming to close the gap in the availability of this type of medication. PAHO’s Dr. Jarbas Barbosa also said his agency is working to achieve the same aim.
The out-of-pocket manufacturer’s retail prices for about a month’s supply for these popular weight-loss medications top $1000. However, drugmakers also provide them in more affordable doses. Also, certain insurance programs can help significantly bring down the cost.
WHO to Back Weight-Loss Drugs
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over a billion people across the world are suffering from obesity, with the numbers accelerating in both wealthy and low- and-middle-income nations. The UN health agency has also warned that the high cost and limited supply of popular weight-loss drugs may worsen inequality.
This is even as the WHO is working on a draft guidance to encourage countries across the world to approach obesity as a chronic disease. The UN health agency is also preparing to support — for the first time — the use of weight-loss drugs as treatment for obesity.
The development comes as the Trump administration has remained relentless in its campaign to force U.S. pharmaceutical companies to bring down the prices of their drugs. In a recent White House event, President Donald Trump bemoaned that American consumers have been subsidizing the pharmaceutical industry’s research and development costs “for the entire planet.”
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The rising popularity of weight-loss drugs as treatment for obesity puts the spotlight on the pharmaceutical companies behind them. The TipRanks’ Stock Comparison tool provides insight into which pharma and healthcare stocks are worth buying at this time. Kindly refer to the graphics below.
