The World Health Organization (WHO) is urging pharmaceutical companies to adopt tiered pricing, allowing for lower prices in low-income countries, and to consider voluntary licensing of patents and technology. This would enable producers worldwide to manufacture GLP-1s, thus expanding access to these medications.
Jeremy Farrar, an assistant director general at the WHO, mentioned to POLITICO that upcoming guidelines would offer an “amber and green light” to generic drug manufacturers for producing more affordable GLP-1 versions once the patents expire.
Francesca Celletti, a senior adviser on obesity at the WHO, stressed the necessity for “decisive action” to improve GLP-1 access, drawing parallels to the reduction in prices of antiretroviral HIV drugs earlier this century. She noted that what seemed impossible then became feasible as costs decreased.
Next year, key patents on semaglutide, which is used in Novo Nordisk’s diabetes and weight-loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy, will expire in certain countries, including India, Brazil, and China.
Dr. Reddy’s, an Indian generics company, plans to introduce a semaglutide-based generic weight-loss drug in 87 countries by 2026, as stated by its CEO, Erez Israeli, earlier this year, according to Reuters.
Israeli also mentioned that markets in the U.S. and Europe would open later, with other Western markets expected to open between 2029 and 2033.
While prices are anticipated to drop once generics are available, other challenges remain. Injectable drugs require cold chain storage, and health systems need to be prepared to distribute the drugs effectively once they become affordable, Celletti pointed out.
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