Under 10% of patients who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy can access them, warns the WHO as it issues its initial advice on the therapies.
Considering over a billion people worldwide currently obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer access to GLP-1 medication.
Per projections, more than two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The new guidance affirms that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with comprehensive and lifelong care," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are significant hurdles to widespread availability to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing substantial body mass, says the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even in the current best projected case, the production of such drugs could only cover about 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, as stated by the WHO.
The recommendation encourages countries and companies to increase availability, through strategies like patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the main ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in a number of nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Function
These medications imitate a natural hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and boost feelings of fullness so people eat less.
Patients commonly begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Evidence indicates patients may put most of the weight back on a year later of halting the drug, as their usual hunger return.
Being overweight or obese increases your risk for developing medical conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific cancers.
Obesity concerns individuals in all nations and was linked to 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
