Less than 10% of patients who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy have access to them, caution the WHO as it publishes its inaugural advice on the medications.
With over a billion individuals worldwide currently classified as obese, it is urging broader and more equitable access to GLP-1 medication.
Per estimates, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidance recognises that obesity is a long-term condition that can be managed with comprehensive and continuous care," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are major hurdles to broad access to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing substantial weight, says the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even in the current most favorable case, the supply of these medications could only cover around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, per the WHO.
The guideline encourages governments and firms to increase availability, through measures like licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the core component of a leading brand – is set to lapse in several nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Injections Operate
GLP-1 drugs imitate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and enhance feelings of fullness so users reduce food intake.
Individuals typically start to lose weight after several weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Research points to users may put most of the weight back on within a year of stopping the medication, as their usual hunger return.
To be overweight or obese elevates your likelihood for contracting health problems, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Obesity affects individuals in all nations and was responsible for 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
