The Access to Medicine Foundation has raised concerns that major pharmaceutical companies’ emphasis on GLP-1 weight-loss medications could compromise their commitment to producing insulin and other essential diabetes treatments. GLP-1 drugs such as Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro have transformed obesity and diabetes care, but companies have increasingly prioritized the more profitable weight-loss market over diabetes management.
Diabetes affects approximately 589 million adults globally, with 81% living in low- and middle-income countries including Pakistan, Egypt, and Jordan. Despite insulin being a critical treatment for type 1 diabetes, many people worldwide still lack access to it. Meanwhile, GLP-1 medications remain unavailable or unaffordable in numerous lower-income nations, limiting their reach to wealthy populations. The foundation’s chief executive noted that companies can charge significantly higher prices for weight-loss injections and pills compared to insulin, creating strong financial incentives to shift focus away from diabetes treatments.
Novo Nordisk has announced plans to discontinue certain older diabetes products including insulin pens, raising concerns about potential market exits by major suppliers. However, other companies have taken different approaches: Sanofi recently began construction on a new insulin production facility in Frankfurt and supplies insulin to 15 million people across more than 100 countries annually, while Eli Lilly received approval for a new once-weekly insulin injection for type 2 diabetes patients.
According to the foundation’s biennial report, most new medications in development target type 2 diabetes, with only 10 of 25 addressing type 1 diabetes. Novartis topped the global health equity ranking, followed by AstraZeneca in third place. The report indicates that access to medicines has increasingly become part of corporate strategy at some firms, with progress documented over the past 20 years in making treatments available in lower-income regions.
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