Fewer than 10% of patients who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy can access them, states the WHO as it issues its initial guidance on the drugs.
Considering more than one billion individuals worldwide currently living with obesity, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer availability to this class of drugs.
According to projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidance affirms that obesity is a long-term condition that can be managed with comprehensive and lifelong support," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are major barriers to widespread availability to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing considerable body mass, says the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Even in the present most optimistic scenario, the manufacturing of these medications might only reach about 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, as stated by the WHO.
The advice encourages governments and firms to expand access, through approaches like patent sharing.
A patent on the active ingredient – the core component of a leading brand – is set to lapse in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Drugs Work
These medications imitate a biological compound to slow digestion, curb appetite and increase satiety so individuals reduce food intake.
People usually start to lose weight after several weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Research points to people may see weight return a year later of stopping the treatment, as their typical appetite come back.
To be carrying excess weight raises your chance for experiencing health problems, like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Excess weight affects people in every country and was associated with millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
