Fewer than 10% of individuals that would benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy are able to get them, caution the World Health Organization as it publishes its first recommendations on the therapies.
With more than one billion individuals worldwide currently living with obesity, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer availability to this class of drugs.
Per projections, over two billion could be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our new guidelines affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with comprehensive and ongoing support," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are major hurdles to broad availability to the treatments that can help people shift considerable weight, explains the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Even in the current most optimistic outlook, the supply of GLP-1 therapies might only reach about 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, as stated by the health organization.
The recommendation encourages nations and manufacturers to expand availability, through strategies like patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the main ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Drugs Work
GLP-1 drugs mimick a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and enhance the sense of being full so users consume fewer calories.
Individuals usually start to lose weight after several weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Studies suggests patients may see weight return a year later of stopping the drug, because their usual appetite come back.
Being above a healthy weight elevates your risk for developing medical conditions, including diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight impacts people in all nations and was associated with over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
