Fewer than 10% of individuals eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy have access to them, warns the World Health Organization as it issues its initial guidance on the drugs.
Considering more than one billion individuals worldwide currently classified as obese, it is urging increased and just access to these injectable treatments.
Based on estimates, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with thorough and continuous treatment," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are key obstacles to universal access to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing considerable weight, says the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Even under the present most favorable outlook, the production of these medications would only suffice for around 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, as stated by the health organization.
The recommendation calls on governments and firms to widen access, by strategies including licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the core ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in several nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Operate
The injections imitate a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and boost feelings of fullness so people consume fewer calories.
Individuals typically start to lose weight in the initial weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Research points to patients may regain a significant portion after a year of stopping the treatment, when their usual appetite return.
Being overweight or obese increases your likelihood for developing health problems, like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Excess weight concerns individuals in all nations and was responsible for over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
