Less than 10% of patients that would benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy are able to get them, warns the global health agency as it releases its inaugural recommendations on the medications.
Given more than one billion individuals worldwide currently living with obesity, it is urging increased and just availability to GLP-1 medication.
According to estimates, more than two billion will be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our new guidelines acknowledges that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be managed with holistic and lifelong support," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are key barriers to broad access to the injections that can assist patients in reducing substantial body mass, notes the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Even in the present best projected scenario, the production of GLP-1 therapies could only cover around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the WHO.
The guideline urges countries and companies to expand availability, by strategies including patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the primary ingredient of a leading brand – is set to lapse in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Injections Operate
The injections mimick a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and boost feelings of fullness so people reduce food intake.
Patients commonly begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Research suggests patients may see weight return within a year of halting the medication, when their usual appetite resume.
Being carrying excess weight increases your risk for developing medical conditions, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some cancers.
Excess weight affects people in every country and was linked to over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
