Fewer than 10% of individuals who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy can access them, states the World Health Organization as it releases its first recommendations on the drugs.
Given in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer access to these injectable treatments.
Per projections, more than two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our latest guidance acknowledges that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with comprehensive and lifelong support," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are significant barriers to broad availability to the injections that can aid individuals in losing considerable body mass, explains the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Despite the present best projected scenario, the supply of such drugs could only cover about 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, per the health organization.
The advice urges countries and companies to widen availability, by approaches including licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the main ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in multiple nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Injections Operate
The injections replicate a biological compound to slow digestion, reduce hunger and increase the sense of being full so users reduce food intake.
Individuals usually start to lose weight after several weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence indicates patients may see weight return after a year of stopping the drug, because their normal appetite resume.
Being above a healthy weight raises your chance for developing health problems, like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and some cancers.
Excess weight impacts individuals in every country and was responsible for over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
