Less than a tenth of people that would benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy have access to them, states the global health agency as it publishes its initial recommendations on the medications.
Considering more than one billion individuals worldwide currently living with obesity, it is urging broader and more equitable access to GLP-1 medication.
Based on estimates, over two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidelines acknowledges that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be treated with holistic and lifelong care," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are significant hurdles to universal access to the injections that can aid individuals in losing considerable body mass, explains the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even in the current most optimistic outlook, the production of such drugs could only cover approximately 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, per the health organization.
The guideline urges nations and manufacturers to increase availability, through strategies such as patent sharing.
A patent on semaglutide – the primary ingredient of a leading brand – is due to expire in multiple countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Function
The injections mimick a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and boost the sense of being full so individuals reduce food intake.
Patients typically start to lose weight in the initial weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Evidence points to people may see weight return after a year of stopping the treatment, as their usual food cravings resume.
Being carrying excess weight increases your likelihood for experiencing diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Obesity concerns people in all nations and was responsible for 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
