Weight-loss drugs need to become cheaper, says AstraZeneca boss

Weight-loss treatments such as Wegovy are injected once a week. The NHS list price is £73.25 for a month’s supply, while in the US the list price is $1,349.02. Photograph: Jim Vondruska/Reuters

Weight-loss treatments need to become cheaper and easier to take and lead to less reduction in muscle mass, according to the chief executive of AstraZeneca, which is working with a Chinese company to develop a pill to tackle obesity and type 2 diabetes.

In November, Britain’s biggest drugmaker struck an exclusive licence agreement with Shanghai-based Eccogene, for an experimental drug called ECC5004 that would also treat cardiometabolic conditions such as heart disease and stroke. Obesity and diabetes affect more than 1 billion people globally.