Less than one in 10 individuals who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy are able to get them, states the World Health Organization as it publishes its initial guidance on the drugs.
Given over a billion people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is calling for more widespread and fairer availability to GLP-1 medication.
Per estimates, over two billion will be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidance acknowledges that obesity is a long-term condition that can be addressed with thorough and lifelong treatment," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are major obstacles to universal access to the injections that can assist patients in reducing substantial body mass, notes the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even under the present most optimistic outlook, the supply of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for around 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, per the health organization.
The advice urges countries and companies to increase access, through measures including licensing agreements.
A patent on the active ingredient – the main component of a leading brand – is set to lapse in several nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Work
These medications imitate a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and increase satiety so individuals reduce food intake.
Patients typically begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Research points to users may put most of the weight back on a year later of discontinuing the medication, when their normal appetite come back.
To be above a healthy weight increases your chance for developing diseases, like diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Obesity concerns individuals in countries worldwide and was linked to 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
