Fewer than one in 10 patients who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy can access them, caution the World Health Organization as it publishes its first advice on the drugs.
Considering more than one billion individuals worldwide currently obese, it is urging increased and just availability to these injectable treatments.
Based on forecasts, over two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidance recognises that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be treated with comprehensive and ongoing support," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are major barriers to widespread availability to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing substantial body mass, explains the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Despite the present most favorable scenario, the supply of GLP-1 therapies could only cover about 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, per the health organization.
The recommendation urges countries and companies to expand access, by approaches including voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the primary ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Drugs Work
These medications imitate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and boost satiety so people eat less.
People commonly see weight reduction within a few weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Research points to patients may put most of the weight back on within a year of halting the drug, when their typical hunger come back.
Being overweight or obese raises your risk for developing health problems, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight affects people in countries worldwide and was linked to 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
