Under a tenth of people eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy have access to them, states the global health agency as it issues its initial recommendations on the drugs.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide now obese, it is urging increased and just access to this class of drugs.
Per projections, more than two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidance recognises that obesity is a chronic disease that can be treated with holistic and ongoing care," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are significant barriers to widespread access to the injections that can assist patients in reducing considerable weight, explains the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Despite the current most favorable scenario, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies might only reach approximately 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, as stated by the health organization.
The advice encourages governments and firms to expand access, by measures including patent sharing.
A patent on semaglutide – the main component of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in several nations in 2026.
How Obesity Drugs Function
The injections mimick a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and increase the sense of being full so users consume fewer calories.
People typically start to lose weight within a few weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Research indicates patients may see weight return a year later of stopping the treatment, as their usual hunger return.
To be overweight or obese raises your chance for developing diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and some malignancies.
Obesity affects individuals in countries worldwide and was linked to millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
