Less than 10% of people eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy have access to them, warns the global health agency as it issues its inaugural recommendations on the therapies.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now living with obesity, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer availability to this class of drugs.
Based on projections, more than two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidelines acknowledges that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be managed with thorough and ongoing care," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are major barriers to widespread availability to the treatments that can help people shift considerable body mass, explains the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Even under the present most optimistic scenario, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, per the health organization.
The recommendation calls on nations and manufacturers to widen availability, via measures including patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the primary component of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Drugs Function
These medications replicate a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and boost feelings of fullness so users reduce food intake.
People usually start to lose weight within a few weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Studies points to users may regain a significant portion a year later of halting the medication, because their typical food cravings come back.
To be above a healthy weight increases your likelihood for contracting diseases, like diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and specific cancers.
Obesity concerns people in every country and was responsible for 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
