Fewer than 10% of individuals eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy can access them, caution the World Health Organization as it issues its first recommendations on the drugs.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide currently living with obesity, it is calling for increased and just availability to this class of drugs.
Per estimates, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidance affirms that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with holistic and ongoing support," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are key obstacles to universal access to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing substantial body mass, explains the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Even in the present most favorable outlook, the manufacturing of such drugs could only cover about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, according to the health organization.
The recommendation encourages governments and firms to widen access, through approaches like licensing agreements.
A patent on semaglutide – the primary component of a leading brand – is set to lapse in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Drugs Function
These medications mimick a biological compound to slow digestion, reduce hunger and increase satiety so individuals consume fewer calories.
Patients typically see weight reduction in the initial weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Research points to users may see weight return within a year of stopping the treatment, because their typical food cravings return.
Being carrying excess weight raises your chance for developing medical conditions, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight affects people in every country and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
