Less than one in 10 patients eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy are able to get them, caution the World Health Organization as it releases its first guidance on the drugs.
Given more than one billion individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is calling for broader and more equitable availability to these injectable treatments.
Per forecasts, over two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidance affirms that obesity is a long-term condition that can be treated with holistic and ongoing care," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are key hurdles to universal access to the treatments that can help people shift considerable body mass, explains the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even in the current most favorable case, the production of these medications might only reach around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, according to the WHO.
The guideline urges governments and firms to expand access, via approaches such as patent sharing.
A patent on the active ingredient – the core component of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Jabs Operate
The injections imitate a natural 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 beginning the weekly injections.
Research suggests people may put most of the weight back on after a year of halting the medication, because their typical food cravings return.
Being carrying excess weight raises your chance for experiencing diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Obesity impacts people in every country and was associated with over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
