Fewer than a tenth of people who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy have access to them, caution the WHO as it publishes its first advice on the therapies.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now obese, it is urging increased and just access to GLP-1 medication.
According to projections, over two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidelines recognises that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be treated with holistic and continuous care," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are major obstacles to universal availability to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing considerable body mass, notes the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Despite the present most favorable case, the manufacturing of these medications might only reach approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, according to the health organization.
The recommendation calls on governments and firms to expand access, through measures including voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the primary ingredient of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in multiple countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Drugs Work
GLP-1 drugs mimick a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and enhance satiety so people eat less.
Individuals commonly start to lose weight within a few weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Research points to patients may see weight return a year later of discontinuing the medication, because their typical food cravings resume.
To be above a healthy weight elevates your chance for developing diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Excess weight concerns individuals in countries worldwide and was linked to millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
