Fewer than 10% of people that would benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy can access them, caution the World Health Organization as it issues its first guidance on the medications.
Considering over a billion individuals worldwide currently classified as obese, it is calling for increased and just availability to GLP-1 medication.
Per estimates, more than two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidance recognises that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be treated with holistic and ongoing treatment," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are major barriers to broad availability to the jabs that can help people shift significant body mass, says the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Even under the present most optimistic case, the manufacturing of these medications would only suffice for around 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the WHO.
The recommendation encourages nations and manufacturers to expand access, by approaches including patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the primary component of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in several countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Operate
The injections imitate a body's own hormone to slow digestion, curb appetite and boost the sense of being full so users consume fewer calories.
Individuals commonly start to lose weight within a few weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Studies indicates users may regain a significant portion within a year of stopping the treatment, because their normal hunger resume.
To be above a healthy weight increases your risk for contracting medical conditions, including diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Obesity concerns people in every country and was responsible for over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
