Fewer than 10% of individuals eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy are able to get them, states the global health agency as it issues its inaugural advice on the medications.
Given more than one billion people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is urging more widespread and fairer access to GLP-1 medication.
Based on forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidance acknowledges that obesity is a chronic disease that can be addressed with holistic and lifelong care," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are key obstacles to universal availability to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing significant body mass, notes the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Despite the present most favorable outlook, the manufacturing of such drugs would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, per the health organization.
The recommendation calls on countries and companies to expand availability, by measures including patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the core ingredient of a leading brand – is set to lapse in multiple nations in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Work
The injections replicate a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and enhance feelings of fullness so people reduce food intake.
Individuals typically start to lose weight within a few weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Research suggests people may see weight return within a year of halting the drug, because their typical hunger resume.
To be carrying excess weight raises your chance for contracting diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Excess weight impacts people in all nations and was associated with millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
