Fewer than one in 10 patients that would benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy are able to get them, warns the World Health Organization as it releases its first guidance on the therapies.
Considering more than one billion people worldwide now living with obesity, it is advocating for broader and more equitable access to this class of drugs.
According to forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our latest guidance recognises that obesity is a chronic disease that can be managed with thorough and ongoing care," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are key obstacles to universal access to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing substantial body mass, explains the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Despite the current most optimistic case, the manufacturing of these medications would only suffice for around 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, per the WHO.
The guideline encourages countries and companies to increase access, by measures like voluntary licensing.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the primary ingredient of a leading brand – is set to lapse in several countries in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Function
The injections replicate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and increase feelings of fullness so people consume fewer calories.
People commonly start to lose weight in the initial weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Evidence points to people may put most of the weight back on within a year of discontinuing the treatment, because their usual appetite resume.
To be carrying excess weight elevates your chance for contracting medical conditions, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight impacts people in all nations and was linked to millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
