Fewer than 10% of patients who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy are able to get them, caution the global health agency as it publishes its initial recommendations on the therapies.
With more than one billion individuals worldwide currently living with obesity, it is advocating for increased and just availability to this class of drugs.
According to estimates, more than two billion could be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our new guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be treated with comprehensive and lifelong support," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are significant barriers to universal availability to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing significant weight, notes the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Even in the present most optimistic outlook, the production of these medications could only cover approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the WHO.
The guideline urges nations and manufacturers to widen availability, through approaches like patent sharing.
A patent on a key compound – the main component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple countries in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Operate
The injections replicate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and increase satiety so individuals eat less.
Individuals usually begin shedding pounds after several weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Studies suggests patients may regain a significant portion within a year of stopping the treatment, when their normal appetite resume.
To be carrying excess weight elevates your chance for contracting health problems, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Obesity impacts people in all nations and was linked to 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
