Under 10% of patients who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy have access to them, caution the World Health Organization as it releases its first recommendations on the drugs.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide currently obese, it is advocating for increased and just access to this class of drugs.
Based on projections, more than two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our latest guidance affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be managed with comprehensive and ongoing care," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are major hurdles to broad access to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing substantial weight, says the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Even under the current most favorable outlook, the manufacturing of such drugs might only reach about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, according to the health organization.
The recommendation urges nations and manufacturers to widen availability, via measures like licensing agreements.
A patent on the active ingredient – the main ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Function
The injections replicate a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and increase feelings of fullness so people consume fewer calories.
Patients usually begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Evidence indicates people may see weight return a year later of discontinuing the drug, because their usual food cravings come back.
To be above a healthy weight increases your chance for contracting medical conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some cancers.
Excess weight affects people in countries worldwide and was associated with millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
