Less than a tenth of people who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy are able to get them, warns the World Health Organization as it publishes its first recommendations on the medications.
With more than one billion people worldwide now living with obesity, it is advocating for broader and more equitable access to GLP-1 medication.
Based on estimates, over two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The new guidelines affirms that obesity is a chronic disease that can be treated with thorough and ongoing care," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are significant barriers to widespread access to the injections that can assist patients in reducing significant body mass, says the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Despite the present best projected scenario, the production of such drugs might only reach about 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the health organization.
The guideline calls on governments and firms to increase availability, through measures such as voluntary licensing.
A patent on a key compound – the primary ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of countries in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Function
The injections mimick a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and boost the sense of being full so individuals consume fewer calories.
Patients usually see weight reduction after several weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Evidence indicates people may put most of the weight back on a year later of discontinuing the medication, when their typical appetite come back.
To be above a healthy weight increases your risk for experiencing health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight concerns people in every country and was linked to millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
