Fewer than 10% of individuals eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy can access them, states the World Health Organization as it releases its inaugural advice on the medications.
Given over a billion individuals worldwide currently classified as obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer access to GLP-1 medication.
Per estimates, more than two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The new guidelines recognises that obesity is a long-term condition that can be managed with thorough and continuous treatment," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are significant hurdles to widespread availability to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing significant weight, notes the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Even in the current most optimistic case, the production of GLP-1 therapies could only cover around 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, as stated by the WHO.
The advice encourages nations and manufacturers to expand access, through measures including licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the primary component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in several nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Drugs Operate
GLP-1 drugs replicate a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and boost satiety so individuals consume fewer calories.
Patients typically start to lose weight within a few weeks of commencing the regular doses.
Research indicates people may put most of the weight back on a year later of halting the treatment, as their typical appetite come back.
Being above a healthy weight raises your risk for experiencing medical conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Obesity concerns individuals in countries worldwide and was linked to 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
