Novo Nordisk, Inc.

For the first time, the World Health Organization has added GLP-1s and GLP-1/GIP dual agonists to its registry of essential medicines that should be available “at all times” in functioning health systems. The decision could make products like Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro more widely available around the world, as the WHO’s list is used as a tool for countries identifying their own medicine priorities. Insurers may also use the list when making reimbursement decisions. The updated registry names Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide, and specifies Novo’s liraglutide and Eli Lilly’s dulaglutide and tirzepatide as therapeutic alternatives. The WHO said its decision “applies specifically to people with multiple comorbidities — Type 2 diabetes, heart or kidney disease and obesity.” “While newer studies in people with obesity alone are also showing positive results, the Expert Committee decided on a stepwise approach — starting with the patients where the evidence is most compelling and the potential public health impact is greatest,” the agency said in a statement to Endpoints News. The essential medicines list is updated every two years by an expert committee. The committee previously considered applications to include GLP-1s for the treatment of diabetes in 2017, 2021 and 2023. This time around, the WHO said in its executive summary that the committee “recognized that diabetes and obesity currently represent two major global health challenges, with both conditions reaching epidemic proportions across diverse populations and regions.” The United Nations agency estimated that more than 1 billion people worldwide are currently affected by obesity, and projected that more than 1.3 billion will be living with diabetes by 2050. It called for increased access to products like semaglutide and tirzepatide, noting that high prices are inhibitory. “Prioritizing those who would benefit most, encouraging generic competition to drive down prices and making these treatments available in primary care – especially in underserved areas – are key to expanding access and improving health outcomes,” the WHO said in a press release.

The World Health Organization (WHO) added GLP-1 drugs to its list of essential medicines on Friday, noting their ability to help people with type 2 diabetes — but also calling out how their high price tags can make them inaccessible. The WHO's essential medicines list is updated every two years and is used in over 150 countries to guide reimbursement schemes and health insurance coverage, as well as  inform public sector procurement and supply.Specifically, the WHO featured GLP-1 receptor agonists Ozempic/Wegovy (semaglutide) and Victoza/Saxenda (liraglutide) from Novo Nordisk, as well as Eli Lilly's Trulicity (dulaglutide), as well as the latter's dual GIP/GLIP-1 agonist Mounjaro/Zepbound (tirzepatide).  The WHO said its expert committee reviewed "strong scientific evidence" supporting the use of GLP-1s in patients with type 2 diabetes, particularly those with a heart or kidney condition. The drugs can improve blood sugar control, boost weight loss, and even lower the risk of early death.However, the organisation also cautioned that the cost of semaglutide and tirzepatide in particular are limiting patient access to the treatments. "A large share of out-of-pocket spending on noncommunicable diseases goes toward medicines, including those classified as essential and that, in principle, should be financially accessible to everyone," said WHO Director of Policy and Standards for Medicines and Health Products Deusdedit Mubangizi. "Achieving equitable access to essential medicines requires a coherent health system response backed by strong political will, multisectoral cooperation, and people-centred programmes that leave no one behind."To expand access to GLP-1s, the WHO recommended greater generic competition to drive down prices while also making them available in primary care — and prioritising the drugs for patients who would benefit most. Both Lilly and Novo are attempting to address the inaccessibility issue with their respective direct-to-consumer platforms, as well as partnerships with telehealth companies. The Danish drugmaker's semaglutide is available to self-paying patients for $499 per month; Lilly offers Zepbound for about the same amount for weight-loss purposes, but its Mounjaro brand for diabetes is not available on LillyDirect.However, the UK is facing a price hike for Mounjaro. Announced last month, Lilly said its increasing the drug's list price 170%, bumping up its monthly cost from £122 to £330 for those who pay privately.

Sundry Photography/Getty Images Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy has been on a winning streak as of late, with a metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis approval last month and prime position in the oral obesity race. Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy more than halved the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events in people with overweight or obesity compared with Eli Lilly’s tirzepatide, continuing a recent winning streak for the blockbuster weight loss drug. Data from the real-world STEER study, presented Friday at the 2025 European Society of Cardiology Congress, showed that Wegovy treatment resulted in a 57% lower likelihood of heart attack and stroke, as well as cardiovascular death and death from any cause, versus tirzepatide. STEER directly compared the two obesity drugs in patients with overweight or obesity who had established cardiovascular disease but not diabetes. When considering all patients on STEER, regardless of gaps in their treatment, Wegovy maintained a 29% advantage over tirzepatide in terms of risk reduction in heart attack, stroke and death from any cause. According to Anna Windle, senior vice president of Clinical Development, Medical and Regulatory Affairs at Novo, these results suggest that Wegovy stands apart from other therapies in its class. “The same CV benefit cannot be generalized across other molecules in the GLP-1 or GIP/GLP-1 classes and may come specifically from the semaglutide molecule,” she said in a prepared statement on Friday. Wegovy was approved in March 2024 for the reduction of cardiovascular risk in people with overweight or obesity who have known heart disease. Tirzepatide, which Lilly markets as Zepbound for chronic weight management and Mounjaro for type 2 diabetes, has no such indication . The new findings come as the obesity arena heats up anew with the recent influx of data from oral formulations. Lilly’s orforglipron, which, according to some analysts, is the de facto leader in this space, has left investors wanting , leaving the door open for competitors. Novo, which has an oral formulation of Wegovy currently under FDA review, with a verdict due by the end of the year, appears to have edged into pole position in this race. Earlier this month, Novo earned another win when the FDA signed off on the use of Wegovy in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis—an indication tirzepatide has yet to break into. These recent wins could help Novo rebuild investor confidence amid a rocky year that has seen its shares plummet 43% to date. Much of the company’s business troubles stem from compounders , which have eaten into the sales of both Wegovy and its sister brand Ozempic. Commercial execution, however, has also been questioned, leading Novo’s board to kick out former CEO Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen and replace him with Maziar Mike Doustdar, former executive vice president for internal operations. Novo slashed its full-year guidance in July by 5%.