Fewer than 10% of patients that would benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy are able to get them, states the World Health Organization as it issues its inaugural recommendations on the drugs.
Given more than one billion individuals worldwide currently obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable access to GLP-1 medication.
According to forecasts, over two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The latest guidelines acknowledges that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be managed with holistic and ongoing treatment," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are significant barriers to widespread access to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing substantial weight, explains the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Even under the current most optimistic outlook, the manufacturing of these medications could only cover about 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, according to the WHO.
The recommendation calls on countries and companies to expand access, through approaches such as voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the core component of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in multiple nations in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Work
These medications imitate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and increase satiety so people reduce food intake.
People typically begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Studies indicates people may regain a significant portion a year later of halting the drug, when their usual food cravings resume.
To be carrying excess weight elevates your likelihood for developing medical conditions, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some cancers.
Obesity impacts people in countries worldwide and was associated with over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
