A daily pill for weight loss can help people reduce their body weight by as much as a fifth, according to a trial that could pave the way for millions more people to shed pounds. The drug, called orforglipron, is manufactured by Eli Lilly and targets the same GLP-1 receptors as weight loss injections such as Mounjaro and Wegovy. In a trial of 3,127 adults, one in five people who took the once-a-day tablet for 72 weeks lost 20% or more of their body weight.
In July, Sundberg published a newsletter headlined "1 in 3 Feed Me readers surveyed use a GLP-1." Despite being sponsored by a company that sells weight-loss medication, the post doesn't shy away sharing its negative perceptions. In one anonymous quote submission, a reader said, "It's kind of cheating, shouldn't we all work to get healthy, not thin?" Another said: "I am still embarrassed for other people if they get on them."
The list, consisting of 523 medicines for adults and 374 for children, is a catalogue of the drugs the WHO believes should be available in all functioning health systems. The new editions of essential medicines lists mark a significant step toward expanding access to new medicines with proven clinical benefits and with high potential for global public health impact, said Yukiko Nakatani, WHO's assistant director-general for Health Systems, Access and Data.