Fewer than one in 10 individuals eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy can access them, warns the WHO as it issues its first recommendations on the drugs.
With more than one billion individuals worldwide now obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable access to GLP-1 medication.
According to projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The latest guidance acknowledges that obesity is a chronic disease that can be addressed with comprehensive and lifelong treatment," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are major hurdles to broad availability to the injections that can aid individuals in losing substantial body mass, explains the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Despite the current best projected case, the production of these medications would only suffice for about 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the health organization.
The guideline encourages governments and firms to expand availability, via approaches like licensing agreements.
A patent on a key compound – the core component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in several countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Injections Operate
GLP-1 drugs replicate a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and increase feelings of fullness so people reduce food intake.
Individuals typically start to lose weight within a few weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Research suggests patients may put most of the weight back on a year later of discontinuing the treatment, because their normal food cravings come back.
Being carrying excess weight increases your chance for experiencing diseases, like diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some cancers.
Obesity affects individuals in countries worldwide and was linked to millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
