Fewer than a tenth of patients that would benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy can access them, caution the global health agency as it issues its initial advice on the therapies.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide now classified as obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer access to GLP-1 medication.
According to forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidance recognises that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be treated with holistic and continuous treatment," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are major barriers to broad access to the injections that can help people shift considerable body mass, says the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Despite the current most optimistic scenario, the supply of GLP-1 therapies might only reach about 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, as stated by the WHO.
The advice encourages nations and manufacturers to expand availability, via measures such as licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the core component of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in several countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Operate
GLP-1 drugs replicate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and boost the sense of being full so people consume fewer calories.
Individuals commonly start to lose weight after several weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Research points to patients may see weight return within a year of discontinuing the treatment, because their normal food cravings return.
Being above a healthy weight raises your likelihood for experiencing diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some cancers.
Excess weight concerns people in countries worldwide and was responsible for 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
