Fewer than 10% of patients eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy have access to them, warns the global health agency as it releases its initial recommendations on the therapies.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide currently obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer access to this class of drugs.
According to estimates, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The latest guidance affirms that obesity is a chronic disease that can be addressed with thorough and continuous care," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are key obstacles to universal availability to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing significant weight, explains the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Even under the current most favorable scenario, the manufacturing of such drugs would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, according to the WHO.
The recommendation encourages countries and companies to expand access, by strategies including licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the primary ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Injections Work
The injections mimick a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and increase satiety so individuals consume fewer calories.
Individuals commonly start to lose weight after several weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Evidence suggests patients may put most of the weight back on within a year of stopping the drug, when their normal food cravings return.
To be above a healthy weight raises your likelihood for experiencing health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Obesity concerns people in countries worldwide and was responsible for millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
