Less than one in 10 individuals that would benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy have access to them, warns the World Health Organization as it issues its first advice on the drugs.
Considering over a billion individuals worldwide currently obese, it is urging broader and more equitable access to GLP-1 medication.
Per projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The latest guidelines acknowledges that obesity is a chronic disease that can be treated with holistic and ongoing care," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are key hurdles to universal access to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing significant weight, explains the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Even in the current best projected scenario, the supply of these medications might only reach about 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, as stated by the health organization.
The guideline encourages nations and manufacturers to expand availability, through measures such as patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the core component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in several countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Injections Work
The injections replicate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and increase satiety so people reduce food intake.
Patients typically begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Studies points to users may see weight return after a year of halting the medication, because their usual food cravings resume.
Being overweight or obese elevates your chance for developing health problems, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some cancers.
Excess weight impacts individuals in all nations and was responsible for over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
