Under one in 10 individuals who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy have access to them, warns the WHO as it releases its inaugural advice on the drugs.
Given over a billion individuals worldwide currently obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable availability to GLP-1 medication.
Per estimates, over two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our latest guidance affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be managed with thorough and ongoing treatment," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are key hurdles to universal access to the injections that can help people shift substantial weight, says the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Even in the present most favorable scenario, the production of GLP-1 therapies might only reach approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, according to the WHO.
The recommendation encourages nations and manufacturers to expand access, via measures like licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the core component of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple countries in 2026.
How Obesity Drugs Function
These medications mimick a natural hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and increase satiety so individuals eat less.
Patients commonly begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of commencing the regular doses.
Evidence indicates users may put most of the weight back on within a year of halting the medication, when their typical hunger come back.
To be overweight or obese elevates your likelihood for experiencing health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight concerns people in all nations and was associated with 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
