Less than 10% of individuals eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy can access them, warns the global health agency as it publishes its initial advice on the medications.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now living with obesity, it is advocating for broader and more equitable availability to GLP-1 medication.
Based on estimates, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The latest guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with holistic and ongoing support," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are major barriers to widespread access to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing considerable weight, explains the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Despite the present most optimistic scenario, the production of such drugs could only cover about 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, according to the WHO.
The guideline calls on nations and manufacturers to widen access, by strategies such as voluntary licensing.
A patent on semaglutide – the primary component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Injections Work
The injections replicate a natural hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and enhance the sense of being full so people reduce food intake.
Patients usually begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Evidence suggests people may regain a significant portion within a year of halting the medication, as their normal hunger return.
Being overweight or obese elevates your chance for developing health problems, like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight concerns individuals in countries worldwide and was linked to millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
