Less than 10% of people eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy are able to get them, caution the World Health Organization as it releases its first guidance on the drugs.
Given over a billion individuals worldwide currently classified as obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer access to these injectable treatments.
According to estimates, over two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The latest guidelines acknowledges that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be treated with comprehensive and continuous treatment," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are major obstacles to broad availability to the injections that can aid individuals in losing significant body mass, explains the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even in the current most favorable case, the supply of such drugs would only suffice for about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the WHO.
The advice urges nations and manufacturers to widen access, through approaches including patent sharing.
A patent on semaglutide – the main ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Operate
The injections imitate a biological compound to slow digestion, reduce hunger and boost feelings of fullness so people consume fewer calories.
Individuals commonly see weight reduction within a few weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Research indicates users may put most of the weight back on within a year of stopping the treatment, when their normal food cravings return.
To be overweight or obese increases your likelihood for developing medical conditions, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and specific cancers.
Obesity impacts people in every country and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
