Fewer than 10% of people eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy have access to them, states the WHO as it releases its inaugural recommendations on the medications.
Given in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide currently classified as obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer access to these injectable treatments.
According to forecasts, over two billion will be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidelines acknowledges that obesity is a chronic disease that can be addressed with holistic and lifelong treatment," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are key hurdles to broad availability to the treatments that can help people shift significant body mass, says the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even under the current most optimistic scenario, the supply of such drugs could only cover around 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, per the health organization.
The recommendation calls on governments and firms to increase access, via measures including voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the primary ingredient of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in multiple nations in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Work
These medications imitate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and increase the sense of being full so individuals consume fewer calories.
Patients typically start to lose weight after several weeks of commencing the regular doses.
Studies suggests users may put most of the weight back on a year later of halting the medication, when their normal hunger return.
Being overweight or obese raises your chance for experiencing medical conditions, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain cancers.
Obesity impacts individuals in countries worldwide and was linked to millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
