Fewer than one in 10 people eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy are able to get them, warns the global health agency as it issues its first advice on the drugs.
Considering more than one billion individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is calling for increased and just availability to this class of drugs.
According to estimates, over two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our latest guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with thorough and ongoing treatment," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are major barriers to widespread availability to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing substantial body mass, notes the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Even under the present most optimistic scenario, the manufacturing of such drugs might only reach approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, per the WHO.
The advice encourages nations and manufacturers to expand access, via measures such as licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the primary component of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Function
The injections imitate a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and increase satiety so users eat less.
Patients commonly start to lose weight after several weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Research points to patients may put most of the weight back on after a year of discontinuing the medication, when their usual appetite resume.
Being overweight or obese elevates your chance for contracting medical conditions, like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers.
Excess weight impacts people in countries worldwide and was linked to millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
