Fewer than a tenth of individuals who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy can access them, states the WHO as it issues its inaugural advice on the medications.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide now obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer access to this class of drugs.
Per estimates, more than two billion could be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidelines acknowledges that obesity is a long-term condition that can be addressed with holistic and continuous support," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are key obstacles to widespread availability to the treatments that can help people shift substantial body mass, notes the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Despite the present best projected scenario, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies might only reach around 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, according to the health organization.
The recommendation calls on nations and manufacturers to increase access, through approaches such as voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the core component of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Drugs Function
The injections replicate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and enhance the sense of being full so individuals consume fewer calories.
Patients typically start to lose weight within a few weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Studies indicates patients may put most of the weight back on a year later of discontinuing the drug, when their typical appetite resume.
To be above a healthy weight elevates your likelihood for developing diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Excess weight concerns people in every country and was responsible for 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
