Less than 10% of patients eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy have access to them, caution the World Health Organization as it releases its first advice on the drugs.
Considering over a billion people worldwide now classified as obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer access to GLP-1 medication.
Based on forecasts, over two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our new guidance recognises that obesity is a chronic disease that can be addressed with holistic and ongoing treatment," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are key barriers to broad availability to the injections that can help people shift significant weight, notes the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even under the present most optimistic outlook, the supply of these medications might only reach about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, according to the WHO.
The guideline encourages governments and firms to increase access, via strategies such as licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the core component of a leading brand – is due to expire in a number of countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Work
The injections mimick a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and increase the sense of being full so individuals consume fewer calories.
Individuals usually start to lose weight in the initial weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Research points to people may put most of the weight back on a year later of stopping the treatment, when their typical appetite come back.
To be carrying excess weight increases your chance for contracting diseases, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight affects people in every country and was linked to 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
