Less than one in 10 people who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy have access to them, caution the World Health Organization as it publishes its initial advice on the drugs.
Given in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide currently obese, it is calling for increased and just access to this class of drugs.
According to estimates, more than two billion could be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidelines recognises that obesity is a long-term condition that can be addressed with thorough and lifelong support," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are major hurdles to widespread availability to the injections that can assist patients in reducing significant body mass, says the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Despite the current best projected outlook, the production of these medications would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, according to the WHO.
The advice calls on nations and manufacturers to expand availability, by approaches like patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the primary ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in a number of countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Injections Work
These medications imitate a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and boost satiety so people consume fewer calories.
People usually start to lose weight within a few weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Research indicates users may put most of the weight back on a year later of stopping the drug, because their normal hunger come back.
Being carrying excess weight raises your risk for developing health problems, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Obesity impacts individuals in countries worldwide and was linked to 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
