Less than one in 10 people that would benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy can access them, states the World Health Organization as it publishes its first guidance on the therapies.
With more than one billion individuals worldwide currently living with obesity, it is advocating for broader and more equitable access to GLP-1 medication.
Per estimates, more than two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidelines affirms that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with holistic and continuous treatment," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are key barriers to universal access to the jabs that can help people shift considerable body mass, explains the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Even in the present most optimistic case, the production of GLP-1 therapies might only reach about 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, according to the WHO.
The recommendation encourages governments and firms to increase access, via approaches including patent sharing.
A patent on a key compound – the main ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in several nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Function
GLP-1 drugs replicate a natural hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and increase the sense of being full so users eat less.
People usually begin shedding pounds after several weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Studies indicates patients may put most of the weight back on within a year of stopping the drug, as their normal appetite resume.
Being above a healthy weight elevates your chance for experiencing medical conditions, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some cancers.
Excess weight concerns people in countries worldwide and was associated with millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
