When a medicine is added to the WHO’s EML, it signals that it is vital for public health and should be made affordable and accessible, that countries should include it in national policies, and that corporations should register it in-country so more people can access it. Currently, rapid-acting insulins and GLP-1s are generally unaffordable and often unavailable in the places MSF operates.
Rapid-acting insulin analogues and GLP-1s help manage blood sugar levels, reducing the likelihood of potential diabetes-related health complications and the need for additional care—something that can be difficult to access for people in low- and middle-income countries.