Less than a tenth of patients who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy have access to them, warns the global health agency as it issues its initial guidance on the medications.
Given more than one billion individuals worldwide currently classified as obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer access to this class of drugs.
Based on projections, over two billion could be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidance recognises that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be managed with thorough and ongoing care," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are significant barriers to universal availability to the injections that can assist patients in reducing considerable body mass, notes the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Even in the present best projected case, the manufacturing of these medications would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, per the health organization.
The recommendation encourages nations and manufacturers to expand availability, through strategies including patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the main ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Drugs Work
The injections replicate a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and boost feelings of fullness so users eat less.
People usually see weight reduction in the initial weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Research indicates people may regain a significant portion within a year of stopping the treatment, as their normal hunger come back.
Being overweight or obese raises your likelihood for developing diseases, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain cancers.
Obesity concerns people in every country and was associated with 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
