Less than 10% of individuals who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy have access to them, warns the World Health Organization as it issues its inaugural advice on the drugs.
With more than one billion individuals worldwide now obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer access to GLP-1 medication.
Based on projections, over two billion could be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be treated with holistic and continuous care," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are key obstacles to widespread availability to the treatments that can help people shift substantial body mass, notes the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even under the current most optimistic scenario, the manufacturing of such drugs would only suffice for about 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, according to the WHO.
The advice encourages countries and companies to increase access, by measures such as voluntary licensing.
A patent on a key compound – the primary ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in several nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Injections Work
These medications imitate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and boost satiety so individuals reduce food intake.
Individuals usually start to lose weight within a few weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Studies indicates people may regain a significant portion a year later of stopping the medication, because their usual hunger return.
Being above a healthy weight elevates your likelihood for developing medical conditions, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Obesity impacts people in all nations and was responsible for millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
