Fewer than 10% of patients who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy are able to get them, caution the World Health Organization as it releases its initial guidance on the drugs.
Considering over a billion people worldwide now living with obesity, it is advocating for broader and more equitable access to these injectable treatments.
According to forecasts, more than two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidelines recognises that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be managed with holistic and ongoing treatment," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are major obstacles to universal availability to the treatments that can help people shift significant weight, says the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even in the present best projected outlook, the production of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the health organization.
The advice urges nations and manufacturers to widen availability, through measures such as voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the primary ingredient of a leading brand – is due to expire in multiple countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Drugs Operate
These medications imitate a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and boost satiety so users eat less.
Individuals usually start to lose weight after several weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Research points to people may see weight return after a year of halting the medication, when their normal food cravings resume.
To be carrying excess weight elevates your chance for developing diseases, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some cancers.
Excess weight concerns people in all nations and was associated with 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
