Under a tenth of patients eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy have access to them, warns the World Health Organization as it releases its initial advice on the medications.
Given over a billion people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is urging broader and more equitable access to these injectable treatments.
Per estimates, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The new guidance affirms that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with holistic and continuous support," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are major obstacles to universal access to the injections that can help people shift significant weight, notes the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even in the present most favorable case, the production of these medications could only cover approximately 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, according to the health organization.
The recommendation encourages countries and companies to widen availability, via strategies such as licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the primary ingredient of a leading brand – is due to expire in multiple nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Injections Work
The injections imitate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and increase satiety so people reduce food intake.
Individuals commonly begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Research indicates users may regain a significant portion within a year of stopping the drug, when their typical appetite return.
To be above a healthy weight increases your chance for experiencing medical conditions, like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight impacts people in all nations and was associated with millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
