Fewer than a tenth of patients eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy can access them, states the global health agency as it releases its inaugural guidance on the medications.
With more than one billion people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is calling for increased and just availability to this class of drugs.
Based on forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The latest guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be treated with comprehensive and ongoing care," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are key barriers to widespread availability to the treatments that can help people shift significant body mass, notes the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Despite the present most favorable case, the manufacturing of these medications would only suffice for about 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, according to the health organization.
The recommendation urges governments and firms to expand availability, via strategies including patent sharing.
A patent on semaglutide – the primary component of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in a number of countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Operate
The injections mimick a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and boost the sense of being full so people reduce food intake.
Patients usually see weight reduction in the initial weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Studies indicates users may put most of the weight back on after a year of halting the treatment, as their typical hunger return.
Being overweight or obese raises your chance for contracting medical conditions, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and certain cancers.
Excess weight concerns individuals in all nations and was associated with over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
