Less than a tenth of patients eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy are able to get them, states the World Health Organization as it publishes its initial advice on the medications.
Considering more than one billion people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is urging broader and more equitable access to these injectable treatments.
According to estimates, over two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our latest guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be addressed with holistic and lifelong treatment," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are significant obstacles to widespread access to the injections that can help people shift substantial body mass, explains the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Even in the present best projected case, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, as stated by the WHO.
The recommendation encourages nations and manufacturers to expand access, by measures like voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the main component of a leading brand – is set to lapse in a number of countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Operate
These medications mimick a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and enhance satiety so people eat less.
Patients commonly start to lose weight within a few weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Research indicates patients may regain a significant portion within a year of stopping the treatment, when their typical appetite resume.
To be above a healthy weight elevates your chance for contracting diseases, like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Excess weight affects individuals in all nations and was responsible for millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
