Under 10% of patients eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy can access them, states the global health agency as it publishes its inaugural guidance on the therapies.
With more than one billion individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is advocating for increased and just availability to GLP-1 medication.
According to forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 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 holistic and lifelong treatment," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are key obstacles to universal access to the jabs that can help people shift substantial body mass, notes the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Despite the present most optimistic case, the supply of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for around 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, as stated by the WHO.
The advice calls on governments and firms to increase availability, through approaches such as patent sharing.
A patent on semaglutide – the primary ingredient of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in multiple nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Injections Operate
GLP-1 drugs replicate a biological compound to slow digestion, reduce hunger and increase feelings of fullness so people reduce food intake.
Individuals commonly start to lose weight within a few weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Research suggests people may put most of the weight back on a year later of halting the medication, when their normal hunger return.
Being above a healthy weight raises your likelihood for developing medical conditions, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Obesity affects people in all nations and was associated with 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
