Less than a tenth of people eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy are able to get them, states the World Health Organization as it publishes its first advice on the medications.
With more than one billion individuals worldwide currently obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable access to this class of drugs.
Per forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with holistic and lifelong treatment," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are key barriers to universal access to the injections that can help people shift considerable weight, says the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Despite the current most favorable outlook, the supply of such drugs could only cover approximately 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, according to the WHO.
The advice urges countries and companies to widen access, by approaches like licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the core component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in a number of nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Operate
GLP-1 drugs mimick a natural hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and increase satiety so users consume fewer calories.
Patients commonly see weight reduction in the initial weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Research points to patients may put most of the weight back on within a year of stopping the treatment, because their usual hunger come back.
To be carrying excess weight elevates your chance for experiencing diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight impacts individuals in countries worldwide and was linked to 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
