Less than 10% of individuals that would benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy have access to them, warns the WHO as it publishes its first guidance on the therapies.
With more than one billion people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is advocating for broader and more equitable access to these injectable treatments.
Per forecasts, over two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our new guidelines recognises that obesity is a long-term condition that can be treated with holistic and continuous treatment," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are significant obstacles to widespread availability to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing significant body mass, says the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Despite the present most favorable outlook, the supply of these medications might only reach about 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, per the health organization.
The advice calls on nations and manufacturers to expand access, through measures like voluntary licensing.
A patent on a key compound – the primary ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Work
These medications imitate a natural hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and increase satiety so people eat less.
Patients typically begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Studies points to people may regain a significant portion within a year of stopping the medication, when their normal appetite resume.
To be above a healthy weight elevates your risk for contracting medical conditions, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Obesity impacts people in every country and was linked to over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
