Under one in 10 individuals who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy have access to them, caution the WHO as it issues its first advice on the medications.
With over a billion individuals worldwide currently classified as obese, it is urging increased and just access to these injectable treatments.
Per forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The new guidance recognises that obesity is a chronic disease that can be managed with thorough and lifelong support," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are significant hurdles to broad access to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing considerable body mass, explains the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Even in the present best projected outlook, the production of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, according to the health organization.
The guideline urges governments and firms to increase access, by approaches such as licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the primary component of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple nations in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Work
The injections imitate a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and boost the sense of being full so people consume fewer calories.
Individuals commonly see weight reduction in the initial weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence suggests users may put most of the weight back on within a year of stopping the drug, as their usual hunger return.
Being carrying excess weight increases your likelihood for contracting diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Excess weight impacts individuals in all nations and was associated with millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
