Fewer than a tenth of patients eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy can access them, caution the WHO as it issues its first guidance on the therapies.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide now classified as obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable availability to GLP-1 medication.
According to projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidelines affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be managed with thorough and continuous treatment," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are significant hurdles to broad access to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing significant body mass, explains the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even under the present best projected case, the supply of such drugs could only cover around 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, according to the health organization.
The recommendation urges governments and firms to increase access, through approaches including voluntary licensing.
A patent on a key compound – the primary component of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple countries in 2026.
How Obesity Drugs Operate
These medications mimick a biological compound to slow digestion, curb appetite and enhance the sense of being full so people eat less.
Patients usually begin shedding pounds after several weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Research points to users may see weight return a year later of halting the drug, as their usual hunger resume.
Being above a healthy weight elevates your risk for developing medical conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers.
Obesity affects people in all nations and was associated with 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
