Less than 10% of individuals who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy can access them, warns the WHO as it issues its initial recommendations on the drugs.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now living with obesity, it is advocating for broader and more equitable access to GLP-1 medication.
Per estimates, over two billion could be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our latest guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be managed with holistic and continuous support," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are significant hurdles to universal availability to the jabs that can help people shift significant weight, says the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even in the current most favorable case, the supply of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for about 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, according to the health organization.
The advice urges nations and manufacturers to widen access, by strategies such as patent sharing.
A patent on a key compound – the main ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Operate
GLP-1 drugs mimick a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and boost feelings of fullness so people eat less.
Patients usually start to lose weight after several weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Research indicates users may regain a significant portion a year later of stopping the drug, because their usual food cravings resume.
Being above a healthy weight increases your chance for developing health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and some cancers.
Excess weight impacts individuals in every country and was associated with over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
