
For the first time ever, drugs that combat obesity are under consideration for the World Health Organization's (WHO) "essential medicines list". This list is used to guide government medicines purchasing decisions in low- and middle-income countries.
Here's why. . .over 650 million adults worldwide are obese, more than triple the rate in 1975. And roughly another 1.3 billion adults are overweight, exacerbating conditions, such as heart disease and diabetes, according to the World Health Organization.