Less than 10% of individuals eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy have access to them, caution the global health agency as it publishes its inaugural recommendations on the drugs.
Given over a billion individuals worldwide now classified as obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer availability to GLP-1 medication.
Per estimates, over two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our new guidance recognises that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be managed with thorough and lifelong treatment," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are key hurdles to universal availability to the injections that can help people shift substantial weight, says the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Even in the present most optimistic case, the production of such drugs might only reach approximately 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, per the WHO.
The guideline calls on countries and companies to expand access, through strategies like voluntary licensing.
A patent on a key compound – the main ingredient of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in multiple countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Work
The injections replicate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and enhance the sense of being full so people eat less.
Patients usually begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Research indicates users may regain a significant portion after a year of discontinuing the medication, as their normal appetite come back.
Being above a healthy weight raises your risk for experiencing health problems, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Obesity impacts individuals in all nations and was associated with millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
