Under one in 10 people eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy have access to them, warns the World Health Organization as it releases its first advice on the medications.
With more than one billion individuals worldwide now obese, it is urging increased and just availability to GLP-1 medication.
According to projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidelines affirms that obesity is a chronic disease that can be managed with comprehensive and ongoing care," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are significant obstacles to widespread availability to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing considerable weight, says the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Even in the current most optimistic scenario, the manufacturing of these medications might only reach approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the WHO.
The advice encourages nations and manufacturers to expand availability, by measures such as voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the main component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in several nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Function
These medications imitate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and boost satiety so people consume fewer calories.
Patients commonly start to lose weight after several weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Studies suggests users may see weight return after a year of halting the drug, when their typical food cravings come back.
Being carrying excess weight elevates your risk for contracting medical conditions, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific cancers.
Excess weight affects individuals in every country and was associated with over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
