Under one in 10 people eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy can access them, warns the World Health Organization as it releases its inaugural advice on the drugs.
Given in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now classified as obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer access to GLP-1 medication.
According to estimates, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our new guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be treated with holistic and lifelong support," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are key obstacles to broad availability to the injections that can aid individuals in losing substantial body mass, notes the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Even in the current best projected case, the supply of these medications could only cover approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the WHO.
The recommendation encourages countries and companies to expand availability, via measures including voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the main ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in several countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Function
These medications replicate a body's own hormone to slow digestion, reduce hunger and increase the sense of being full so users eat less.
Patients usually begin shedding pounds after several weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Research indicates people may put most of the weight back on after a year of stopping the drug, because their typical hunger return.
To be overweight or obese raises your likelihood for contracting health problems, like diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Obesity impacts individuals in all nations and was associated with 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
