Fewer than one in 10 patients that would benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy can access them, states the global health agency as it releases its initial recommendations on the therapies.
Considering more than one billion individuals worldwide now obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable access to GLP-1 medication.
Based on projections, more than two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our new guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be managed with holistic and ongoing care," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are major obstacles to universal availability to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing substantial body mass, explains the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Despite the present most optimistic case, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies could only cover about 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, according to the health organization.
The recommendation calls on governments and firms to widen access, through approaches including licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the main component of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in several countries in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Operate
These medications replicate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and enhance satiety so users reduce food intake.
Individuals usually start to lose weight within a few weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Studies indicates patients may put most of the weight back on a year later of discontinuing the treatment, as their usual hunger return.
To be carrying excess weight elevates your chance for contracting health problems, like diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Obesity concerns individuals in all nations and was associated with millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
