Less than 10% of people eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy are able to get them, warns the WHO as it releases its initial advice on the medications.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is urging broader and more equitable availability to these injectable treatments.
According to estimates, more than two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidelines recognises that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be treated with holistic and continuous support," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are key barriers to broad access to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing substantial body mass, explains the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Even in the present most favorable scenario, the production of such drugs would only suffice for about 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the health organization.
The recommendation urges countries and companies to increase access, via approaches like voluntary licensing.
A patent on the active ingredient – the main component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Injections Work
The injections mimick a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and increase satiety so users eat less.
Patients typically begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Evidence points to people may see weight return after a year of discontinuing the medication, when their normal hunger come back.
Being above a healthy weight raises your risk for experiencing medical conditions, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight concerns people in all nations and was responsible for 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
