Under one in 10 patients who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy can access them, caution the global health agency as it releases its initial guidance on the medications.
With more than one billion people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable availability to GLP-1 medication.
Based on estimates, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidance acknowledges that obesity is a chronic disease that can be treated with holistic and lifelong support," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are significant hurdles to universal availability to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing significant body mass, explains the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even in the present most optimistic outlook, the manufacturing of these medications could only cover approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, according to the health organization.
The guideline encourages governments and firms to widen access, via strategies like licensing agreements.
A patent on the active ingredient – the main ingredient of a leading brand – is due to expire in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Injections Work
GLP-1 drugs imitate a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and enhance the sense of being full so people eat less.
Patients usually begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Research points to patients may see weight return within a year of halting the medication, when their typical appetite return.
Being overweight or obese elevates your likelihood for experiencing diseases, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Obesity affects people in every country and was responsible for 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
