Fewer than 10% of patients eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy are able to get them, caution the World Health Organization as it publishes its initial advice on the drugs.
With more than one billion individuals worldwide now classified as obese, it is urging increased and just availability to these injectable treatments.
Based on projections, more than two billion could be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our latest guidance affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with comprehensive and continuous care," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are significant obstacles to universal access to the injections that can assist patients in reducing considerable weight, says the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even in the present most optimistic outlook, the manufacturing of these medications could only cover about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, according to the health organization.
The guideline urges governments and firms to increase availability, by approaches such as voluntary licensing.
A patent on semaglutide – the main ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple countries in 2026.
How Obesity Drugs Work
These medications imitate a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and increase the sense of being full so users consume fewer calories.
People typically see weight reduction in the initial weeks of commencing the regular doses.
Research suggests users may put most of the weight back on a year later of discontinuing the drug, when their typical appetite return.
To be above a healthy weight raises your risk for experiencing health problems, like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and some cancers.
Obesity impacts people in all nations and was responsible for over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
