Gates Foundation and PAHO Tackle Global Accessibility of Weight-Loss Drugs
The Gates Foundation and the Pan American Health Organization are working to improve access to weight-loss drugs like Wegovy and Mounjaro in lower-income countries. Efforts include creating cheaper versions and conducting trials. The goal is to make these effective, though costly, treatments more widely available.
The Gates Foundation and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) are spearheading efforts to make high-cost weight-loss drugs such as Novo Nordisk's Wegovy and Eli Lilly's Mounjaro more accessible in lower-income nations. Bill Gates and Dr. Jarbas Barbosa disclosed these initiatives in separate interviews with Reuters.
Gates emphasized the Foundation's commitment to reducing the costs of effective drugs, using its experience with HIV prevention medications as a model. With generic manufacturers already preparing low-cost versions of Wegovy's active ingredient, semaglutide, entering markets like China and India, the Gates Foundation could also support clinical trials to expand accessibility.
PAHO is exploring ways to reduce costs through its bulk purchasing fund, aiming to facilitate regulatory processes for manufacturers. The World Health Organization estimates that obesity costs could reach $3 trillion by 2030 if unaddressed, highlighting the urgent need for affordable treatments.
(With inputs from agencies.)
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