Under one in 10 people eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy can access them, warns the global health agency as it publishes its first advice on the therapies.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is advocating for increased and just access to GLP-1 medication.
Based on forecasts, over two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The latest guidance recognises that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with comprehensive and lifelong treatment," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are significant barriers to widespread access to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing significant body mass, explains the body.
Skinny Jab Shortage
Despite the current most optimistic case, the production of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for around 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the WHO.
The advice urges countries and companies to widen availability, through measures including patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the main ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Drugs Operate
These medications replicate a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and boost satiety so users reduce food intake.
People commonly begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Research indicates patients may see weight return within a year of stopping the drug, when their normal appetite resume.
To be carrying excess weight elevates your risk for experiencing medical conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight concerns individuals in countries worldwide and was associated with 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
