Fewer than 10% of patients eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy have access to them, warns the global health agency as it publishes its first advice on the therapies.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide now obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer access to GLP-1 medication.
Per forecasts, more than two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidelines affirms that obesity is a long-term condition that can be addressed with holistic and continuous treatment," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are key obstacles to universal access to the treatments that can help people shift significant body mass, notes the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Despite the present most optimistic scenario, the production of such drugs could only cover about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the WHO.
The advice encourages nations and manufacturers to widen access, via approaches including licensing agreements.
A patent on a key compound – the primary ingredient of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in several countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Operate
GLP-1 drugs replicate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and enhance feelings of fullness so people consume fewer calories.
Individuals usually see weight reduction within a few weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Research points to people may see weight return after a year of stopping the treatment, as their normal appetite come back.
Being carrying excess weight raises your risk for contracting medical conditions, like diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain cancers.
Obesity concerns individuals in all nations and was responsible for millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
