Less than one in 10 people that would benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy are able to get them, states the global health agency as it releases its inaugural advice on the drugs.
Given over a billion people worldwide now classified as obese, it is urging increased and just access to GLP-1 medication.
According to estimates, over two billion will be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our latest guidelines affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be addressed with comprehensive and continuous care," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are significant hurdles to universal availability to the injections that can assist patients in reducing considerable weight, says the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Despite the current most optimistic case, the production of these medications would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, per the health organization.
The guideline calls on countries and companies to widen availability, by strategies including licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the primary component of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in multiple countries in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Work
These medications replicate a body's own hormone to slow digestion, curb appetite and increase satiety so individuals eat less.
Patients commonly start to lose weight within a few weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Research points to patients may see weight return after a year of stopping the drug, because their typical food cravings resume.
To be overweight or obese increases your likelihood for experiencing health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Excess weight impacts individuals in all nations and was responsible for 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
