Under 10% of patients that would benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy can access them, warns the World Health Organization as it releases its first recommendations on the therapies.
Given over a billion individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is calling for more widespread and fairer access to this class of drugs.
According to projections, over two billion will be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our latest guidelines affirms that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be treated with comprehensive and ongoing care," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are major obstacles to universal access to the injections that can assist patients in reducing substantial body mass, explains the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Even in the current most favorable outlook, the manufacturing of such drugs could only cover approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, per the health organization.
The guideline encourages governments and firms to widen availability, by approaches including voluntary licensing.
A patent on the active ingredient – the primary ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in several countries in 2026.
How Obesity Drugs Work
The injections mimick a biological compound to slow digestion, curb appetite and boost the sense of being full so users consume fewer calories.
Patients usually begin shedding pounds after several weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Research points to patients may see weight return after a year of halting the treatment, when their normal food cravings return.
Being overweight or obese elevates your risk for contracting health problems, such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific cancers.
Excess weight concerns people in every country and was associated with 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
