Less than one in 10 patients that would benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy have access to them, warns the WHO as it issues its inaugural advice on the medications.
Considering over a billion people worldwide now obese, it is advocating for increased and just availability to these injectable treatments.
Per projections, over two billion could be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidance affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be managed with holistic and continuous care," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are significant barriers to universal access to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing considerable weight, notes the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Despite the present most optimistic case, the supply of GLP-1 therapies might only reach approximately 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, as stated by the health organization.
The advice encourages governments and firms to increase availability, via approaches such as patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the primary component of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in a number of nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Function
The injections replicate a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and boost the sense of being full so users reduce food intake.
Individuals commonly start to lose weight within a few weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Studies points to patients may put most of the weight back on a year later of discontinuing the drug, because their typical hunger return.
Being carrying excess weight raises your risk for experiencing health problems, like diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some cancers.
Obesity impacts people in all nations and was responsible for 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
