Under one in 10 individuals eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy can access them, caution the WHO as it issues its inaugural recommendations on the drugs.
With over a billion people worldwide currently obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable access to these injectable treatments.
Based on forecasts, over two billion could be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our new guidelines acknowledges that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be addressed with holistic and continuous treatment," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are major obstacles to universal availability to the injections that can aid individuals in losing considerable body mass, explains the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Despite the current best projected case, the production of such drugs could only cover about 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, as stated by the WHO.
The advice encourages nations and manufacturers to increase availability, by measures like patent sharing.
A patent on a key compound – the primary component of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in several countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Operate
GLP-1 drugs imitate a biological compound to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and enhance satiety so users consume fewer calories.
Patients commonly begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Research indicates patients may put most of the weight back on within a year of halting the medication, as their usual food cravings come back.
To be above a healthy weight increases your chance for contracting diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Excess weight concerns people in every country and was responsible for millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
