Under a tenth of patients eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy are able to get them, caution the WHO as it issues its initial recommendations on the drugs.
With more than one billion individuals worldwide currently classified as obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer availability to GLP-1 medication.
Per projections, over two billion could be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our new guidelines acknowledges that obesity is a long-term condition that can be addressed with comprehensive and ongoing care," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are major hurdles to widespread availability to the injections that can aid individuals in losing considerable weight, explains the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even under the current best projected outlook, the production of GLP-1 therapies might only reach approximately 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, per the WHO.
The recommendation urges countries and companies to expand access, by strategies such as patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the core component of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Function
These medications imitate a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and increase satiety so people eat less.
Patients commonly see weight reduction after several weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Studies suggests users may regain a significant portion after a year of halting the medication, when their usual appetite return.
To be overweight or obese raises your chance for developing health problems, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight impacts people in every country and was linked to 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
