Less than 10% of people who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy can access them, caution the WHO as it publishes its initial advice on the drugs.
With over a billion individuals worldwide currently obese, it is urging broader and more equitable access to these injectable treatments.
Per estimates, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidelines acknowledges that obesity is a chronic disease that can be treated with thorough and continuous treatment," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are significant obstacles to broad availability to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing significant body mass, says the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Despite the current most favorable case, the supply of such drugs might only reach around 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, per the health organization.
The guideline calls on governments and firms to increase access, via approaches like voluntary licensing.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the core component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in a number of countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Operate
These medications mimick a body's own hormone to slow digestion, curb appetite and increase the sense of being full so users consume fewer calories.
Patients usually start to lose weight after several weeks of commencing the regular doses.
Studies indicates patients may see weight return after a year of halting the drug, because their typical hunger resume.
Being carrying excess weight raises your likelihood for experiencing medical conditions, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Excess weight affects people in all nations and was responsible for millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
