Under 10% of patients eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy can access them, states the WHO as it publishes its inaugural recommendations on the drugs.
Considering more than one billion individuals worldwide currently obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer access to these injectable treatments.
Based on estimates, more than two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidance affirms that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be treated with comprehensive and lifelong treatment," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are significant hurdles to broad access to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing significant body mass, explains the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even under the present most favorable outlook, the production of these medications could only cover around 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the health organization.
The recommendation urges countries and companies to increase availability, via approaches such as licensing agreements.
A patent on semaglutide – the core component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Operate
These medications replicate a biological compound to slow digestion, curb appetite and boost the sense of being full so individuals eat less.
Patients commonly begin shedding pounds after several weeks of commencing the regular doses.
Research points to people may regain a significant portion within a year of stopping the drug, as their usual hunger resume.
To be carrying excess weight increases your likelihood for experiencing medical conditions, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some cancers.
Obesity concerns people in every country and was associated with millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
