Fewer than 10% of people who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy have access to them, caution the World Health Organization as it publishes its first recommendations on the therapies.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is urging increased and just availability to GLP-1 medication.
Per forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The new guidelines acknowledges that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be managed with comprehensive and ongoing support," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are key obstacles to broad availability to the treatments that can help people shift significant weight, says the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even in the current most favorable scenario, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies might only reach around 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, according to the health organization.
The advice calls on countries and companies to widen access, by approaches like patent sharing.
A patent on the active ingredient – the core component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in several countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Injections Work
These medications replicate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and enhance feelings of fullness so individuals consume fewer calories.
Patients typically begin shedding pounds after several weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence points to patients may see weight return within a year of halting the drug, when their normal appetite come back.
To be overweight or obese raises your likelihood for developing medical conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Obesity impacts individuals in all nations and was linked to millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
