Less than one in 10 patients eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy are able to get them, states the WHO as it issues its first recommendations on the medications.
With more than one billion people worldwide now living with obesity, it is advocating for increased and just availability to GLP-1 medication.
According to forecasts, more than two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our new guidelines recognises that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with comprehensive and lifelong treatment," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are key obstacles to broad availability to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing considerable weight, notes the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even under the present most favorable case, the production of GLP-1 therapies could only cover about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the WHO.
The advice calls on governments and firms to widen availability, via measures such as voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the main ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Work
GLP-1 drugs mimick a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and boost satiety so individuals consume fewer calories.
Individuals commonly begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Evidence indicates users may put most of the weight back on after a year of discontinuing the medication, when their typical food cravings return.
Being carrying excess weight raises your chance for experiencing diseases, like diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and certain cancers.
Excess weight impacts people in all nations and was responsible for over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
