Less than 10% of patients eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy have access to them, caution the WHO as it publishes its inaugural advice on the drugs.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide currently classified as obese, it is calling for increased and just access to this class of drugs.
Based on projections, over two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidance affirms that obesity is a chronic disease that can be addressed with comprehensive and continuous treatment," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are significant obstacles to universal availability to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing substantial weight, notes the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even under the current most optimistic scenario, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies could only cover around 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, according to the WHO.
The advice calls on governments and firms to expand availability, via approaches including voluntary licensing.
A patent on the active ingredient – the core component of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Operate
GLP-1 drugs mimick a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and enhance satiety so individuals eat less.
Individuals typically begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Evidence points to users may put most of the weight back on within a year of discontinuing the treatment, when their normal appetite return.
To be overweight or obese raises your likelihood for experiencing health problems, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight affects individuals in all nations and was associated with over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
