The gold rush into GLP-1 weight-loss drugs risks diverting pharmaceutical firms’ attention away from diabetes treatments such as insulin, the head of the Access to Medicine Foundation has warned.
A report from the Netherlands-based non-profit group highlights that blockbuster medications such as Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro have revolutionized obesity and diabetes treatment, but corporate focus has increasingly shifted toward weight loss.
Global Impact on Diabetes and Insulin Supply
Diabetes affects an estimated 589 million adults globally, with 81% living in low- and middle-income countries such as Jordan, Egypt, and Pakistan. The Access to Medicine Foundation warned that many individuals cannot access basic insulin, which is critical for people with type 1 diabetes. Meanwhile, many countries continue to struggle with accessing GLP-1 medications following the 2021 launch of the weight-loss jab Wegovy.
A lot of the GLP-1 drugs are just starting to enter these LMIC markets for obesity,
said Jay Iyer, the foundation’s chief executive.
Iyer added: You have a lot of attention on GLP-1s, but a lot of it is directed towards the obesity market, and that’s not going to help people with type 1 diabetes who after 105 years of insulin development still do not have access to the drug.
Weight-Loss Drugs Threaten Insulin Supply and Profit Margins
Pharmaceutical companies earn higher prices and profit margins on weight-loss pills and injections than on medications such as insulin. Iyer warned, There is a risk that any of the three – Sanofi, [Eli] Lilly or Novo [Nordisk]– could leave the insulin market, and that will be disastrous for supply to insulin especially for people living with type 1 diabetes and insulin-dependent type 2 diabetes.
Compounding these concerns, Novo Nordisk has already announced plans to phase out several older diabetes products, including insulin pens. Although GLP-1 drugs were initially created to manage type 2 diabetes by regulating blood sugar, reducing appetite, and slowing digestion, their expansion into the obesity market has created a lucrative industry driven by millions of users in the US and other wealthy nations.
Type 2 Diabetes Treatments Dominate Medication Development
The biennial report by the foundation, which receives partial funding from the Dutch and UK governments, noted that most medications being developed in the area target type 2 diabetes, with only 10 out of 25 targeting type 1 diabetes. GLP-1 medications remain unregistered in numerous lower-income countries, and high prices combined with a lack of equitable pricing measures keep them out of reach where they are available.
In the foundation’s global health equity ranking, Switzerland’s Novartis secured the top spot, followed by the UK’s GSK and British drugmaker AstraZeneca in third place with late-stage access plans for nearly all of its drugs. Reflecting on the 20-year history of the index, Iyer noted that progress has occurred, with access now integrated into corporate strategies and occasionally tied to executive bonus targets at certain companies.
