Fewer than one in 10 individuals that would benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy have access to them, states the global health agency as it issues its initial recommendations on the medications.
Given more than one billion individuals worldwide currently living with obesity, it is advocating for broader and more equitable availability to GLP-1 medication.
Based on estimates, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The new guidelines acknowledges that obesity is a chronic disease that can be addressed with thorough and lifelong support," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are major hurdles to widespread availability to the injections that can assist patients in reducing significant weight, explains the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Despite the present most optimistic scenario, the supply of GLP-1 therapies might only reach around 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the health organization.
The advice urges nations and manufacturers to expand availability, by strategies like licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the primary ingredient of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in several nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Injections Work
GLP-1 drugs mimick a natural hormone to slow digestion, reduce hunger and boost the sense of being full so individuals reduce food intake.
Patients typically begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Evidence points to patients may see weight return within a year of halting the medication, as their normal appetite come back.
Being above a healthy weight elevates your chance for contracting diseases, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Obesity affects individuals in every country and was linked to 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
