Less than a tenth of people who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy can access them, warns the World Health Organization as it releases its first guidance on the medications.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide now obese, it is urging increased and just availability to GLP-1 medication.
According to forecasts, more than two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidance affirms that obesity is a chronic disease that can be treated with holistic and lifelong support," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are key obstacles to broad access to the treatments that can help people shift significant body mass, explains the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even in the current most optimistic scenario, the production of such drugs would only suffice for around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the health organization.
The advice encourages countries and companies to widen access, via measures such as licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the primary component of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in a number of countries in 2026.
How Obesity Drugs Function
These medications mimick a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and enhance the sense of being full so people reduce food intake.
Patients commonly start to lose weight in the initial weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Research points to people may regain a significant portion within a year of halting the medication, because their typical appetite resume.
Being carrying excess weight elevates your risk for contracting diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight affects people in every country and was linked to 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
