Under a tenth of individuals eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy can access them, warns the global health agency as it releases its initial guidance on the medications.
Given more than one billion people worldwide now living with obesity, it is urging broader and more equitable availability to GLP-1 medication.
Per projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidance acknowledges that obesity is a long-term condition that can be addressed with thorough and lifelong treatment," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are key barriers to broad availability to the injections that can help people shift considerable body mass, says the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Despite the present most favorable case, the production of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for about 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, as stated by the WHO.
The advice urges nations and manufacturers to expand access, by approaches like voluntary licensing.
A patent on a key compound – the main ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Injections Work
GLP-1 drugs imitate a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and increase feelings of fullness so people consume fewer calories.
People commonly start to lose weight in the initial weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Research suggests users may see weight return a year later of stopping the drug, because their typical appetite return.
To be carrying excess weight raises your likelihood for contracting medical conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Obesity affects individuals in every country and was responsible for 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
