Fewer than one in 10 patients that would benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy are able to get them, states the global health agency as it releases its inaugural advice on the medications.
Considering over a billion people worldwide currently obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer access to GLP-1 medication.
Per projections, more than two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our latest guidance affirms that obesity is a long-term condition that can be addressed with holistic and continuous treatment," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are key hurdles to widespread availability to the injections that can assist patients in reducing considerable body mass, says the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Even under the present most optimistic outlook, the manufacturing of such drugs could only cover approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, per the WHO.
The recommendation urges nations and manufacturers to widen access, by measures like voluntary licensing.
A patent on a key compound – the main ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in a number of countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Function
The injections imitate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and boost satiety so users consume fewer calories.
Patients usually begin shedding pounds after several weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Evidence points to patients may regain a significant portion after a year of halting the drug, because their usual food cravings resume.
Being above a healthy weight increases your risk for contracting health problems, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight concerns individuals in every country and was associated with millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
