Under a tenth of patients eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy are able to get them, states the WHO as it issues its inaugural guidance on the medications.
With more than one billion people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is calling for increased and just availability to these injectable treatments.
According to forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidelines affirms that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be treated with comprehensive and ongoing treatment," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are major barriers to widespread access to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing substantial body mass, notes the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Despite the present most optimistic scenario, the manufacturing of these medications could only cover around 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, per the health organization.
The advice calls on countries and companies to expand access, by measures like patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the core ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple countries in 2026.
How Obesity Drugs Work
These medications imitate a body's own hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and boost the sense of being full so individuals reduce food intake.
People commonly see weight reduction after several weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Research indicates users may regain a significant portion after a year of halting the treatment, as their typical food cravings resume.
Being above a healthy weight raises your risk for experiencing medical conditions, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain cancers.
Excess weight concerns people in every country and was associated with millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
