Fewer than a tenth of patients eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy can access them, caution the WHO as it issues its first recommendations on the medications.
Given more than one billion people worldwide now obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer availability to GLP-1 medication.
According to estimates, more than two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The new guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be addressed with thorough and continuous support," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are significant obstacles to broad access to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing significant body mass, says the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Despite the current most favorable case, the production of such drugs could only cover around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, according to the WHO.
The advice calls on governments and firms to increase availability, by measures including licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the primary ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of countries in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Operate
The injections mimick a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and increase feelings of fullness so individuals eat less.
Individuals commonly see weight reduction after several weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Evidence suggests people may put most of the weight back on a year later of discontinuing the treatment, as their normal hunger resume.
To be overweight or obese raises your risk for developing health problems, like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Obesity impacts people in countries worldwide and was responsible for 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
