Fewer than a tenth of individuals eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy have access to them, caution the global health agency as it releases its first recommendations on the medications.
Considering more than one billion individuals worldwide currently obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer availability to this class of drugs.
Based on forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidelines recognises that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be managed with holistic and lifelong treatment," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are major barriers to broad access to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing significant body mass, says the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Even under the present most optimistic scenario, the production of these medications would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, per the WHO.
The guideline urges countries and companies to expand access, by strategies like patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the primary ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in several countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Operate
GLP-1 drugs imitate a natural hormone to slow digestion, reduce hunger and increase feelings of fullness so users eat less.
People commonly begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Evidence indicates patients may see weight return a year later of discontinuing the drug, when their typical appetite come back.
To be overweight or obese increases your chance for contracting medical conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers.
Obesity concerns people in all nations and was responsible for millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
