Fewer than 10% of people who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy can access them, caution the WHO as it publishes its initial recommendations on the drugs.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now living with obesity, it is advocating for broader and more equitable access to GLP-1 medication.
Per forecasts, over two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our latest guidance affirms that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be addressed with comprehensive and lifelong treatment," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are key hurdles to broad availability to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing considerable weight, explains the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Even in the present most favorable scenario, the production of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, per the WHO.
The guideline encourages governments and firms to widen access, via measures such as patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the main ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in a number of nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Injections Operate
The injections imitate a natural hormone to slow digestion, curb appetite and enhance the sense of being full so individuals reduce food intake.
People usually begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Evidence points to users may put most of the weight back on after a year of stopping the treatment, when their normal hunger resume.
Being overweight or obese elevates your likelihood for contracting medical conditions, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight impacts individuals in countries worldwide and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
