Under a tenth of individuals who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy are able to get them, warns the World Health Organization as it issues its initial advice on the drugs.
Given over a billion people worldwide now classified as obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer availability to this class of drugs.
Per forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The new guidance acknowledges that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be treated with comprehensive and ongoing care," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are major obstacles to widespread availability to the injections that can assist patients in reducing significant weight, explains the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Despite the present most optimistic outlook, the manufacturing of these medications might only reach around 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the WHO.
The guideline urges governments and firms to increase access, by strategies including licensing agreements.
A patent on the active ingredient – the core component of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Injections Function
GLP-1 drugs replicate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and enhance the sense of being full so users eat less.
Patients usually begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Studies indicates users may see weight return a year later of stopping the medication, when their typical food cravings return.
Being above a healthy weight raises your chance for experiencing diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Obesity impacts people in every country and was associated with millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
