Weight-loss drug boom risks leaving poorer countries behind, study finds

The article notes the report's finding that among the research and development projects assessed in the report targetting diabetes, many target type 2 diabetes, e.g. GLP-1 medications. This is despite the fact that access to essential insulin is still not stable in many low- and middle-income countries, leading to many preventable deaths. 

The Access to Medicine Foundation's Director of Research, Claudia Martínez is quoted: “We also need to make sure that the focus on these newer treatments doesn’t mean that essential medicines like insulin get left behind. GLP-1s can reduce the need for insulin for some people with type 2 diabetes, but they cannot replace it. 

The article notes that the report comes out amid companies facing upcoming competition from cheaper, generic versions of GLP-1 products, as patents begin to expire. It gives Sandoz's recently- announced semaglutide as an example.