Less than 10% of individuals that would benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy can access them, warns the World Health Organization as it issues its first advice on the therapies.
Given over a billion people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is advocating for increased and just access to GLP-1 medication.
Per estimates, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidelines acknowledges that obesity is a chronic disease that can be managed with holistic and continuous treatment," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are key hurdles to widespread availability to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing substantial weight, explains the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Despite the present best projected case, the production of these medications could only cover approximately 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the health organization.
The advice urges countries and companies to widen access, through approaches including licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the main ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in several countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Drugs Operate
These medications replicate a body's own hormone to slow digestion, reduce hunger and increase satiety so people eat less.
People commonly begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Research points to people may see weight return a year later of halting the drug, as their normal food cravings come back.
To be above a healthy weight elevates your likelihood for experiencing health problems, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Obesity concerns people in all nations and was linked to millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
