Less than a tenth of patients who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy can access them, warns the World Health Organization as it releases its first recommendations on the drugs.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer access to these injectable treatments.
According to estimates, over two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidance recognises that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be managed with thorough and continuous care," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are significant obstacles to broad availability to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing significant body mass, explains the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Even under the current most favorable case, the supply of GLP-1 therapies could only cover approximately 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, according to the WHO.
The advice calls on governments and firms to widen access, through strategies like voluntary licensing.
A patent on a key compound – the primary ingredient of a leading brand – is due to expire in several nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Work
These medications replicate a natural hormone to slow digestion, reduce hunger and boost satiety so people reduce food intake.
Individuals typically start to lose weight in the initial weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Evidence suggests people may regain a significant portion after a year of halting the treatment, as their typical appetite return.
To be carrying excess weight increases your likelihood for experiencing health problems, like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight concerns individuals in every country and was associated with millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
