Less than a tenth of patients who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy have access to them, warns the World Health Organization as it publishes its first recommendations on the drugs.
Given in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide currently obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable availability to this class of drugs.
Based on projections, more than two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our latest guidelines recognises that obesity is a chronic disease that can be treated with holistic and lifelong treatment," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are significant hurdles to widespread access to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing significant weight, says the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Despite the current most optimistic case, the production of such drugs would only suffice for around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, per the health organization.
The advice calls on nations and manufacturers to widen availability, via approaches such as patent sharing.
A patent on the active ingredient – the primary ingredient of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in multiple nations in 2026.
How Obesity Drugs Function
The injections replicate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and enhance satiety so users consume fewer calories.
Individuals usually begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Research suggests patients may put most of the weight back on within a year of discontinuing the medication, when their normal hunger resume.
Being overweight or obese increases your risk for experiencing diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and some cancers.
Excess weight concerns individuals in every country and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
