Fewer than 10% of people who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy can access them, caution the global health agency as it publishes its first advice on the therapies.
With over a billion individuals worldwide currently living with obesity, it is advocating for broader and more equitable availability to GLP-1 medication.
Based on estimates, more than two billion could be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidance affirms that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be managed with comprehensive and ongoing care," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are key obstacles to widespread access to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing significant body mass, notes the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even in the present most favorable scenario, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, per the health organization.
The recommendation calls on governments and firms to increase access, by strategies such as licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the main component of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in several countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Function
GLP-1 drugs imitate a natural hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and enhance feelings of fullness so users eat less.
Patients usually begin shedding pounds after several weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Evidence suggests patients may put most of the weight back on within a year of halting the drug, as their typical food cravings come back.
To be overweight or obese elevates your chance for contracting diseases, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Obesity impacts people in all nations and was linked to millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
