Under a tenth of patients eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy are able to get them, caution the WHO as it issues its first advice on the drugs.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now classified as obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer access to this class of drugs.
Based on estimates, more than two billion could be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidelines acknowledges that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be managed with comprehensive and ongoing treatment," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are key obstacles to widespread access to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing significant weight, explains the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Even in the current best projected case, the production of such drugs could only cover approximately 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, per the health organization.
The guideline urges nations and manufacturers to expand availability, by strategies such as voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the primary component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple nations in 2026.
How Obesity Drugs Operate
These medications mimick a natural hormone to slow digestion, curb appetite and enhance the sense of being full so users reduce food intake.
Patients typically begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Studies points to users may see weight return a year later of halting the treatment, when their normal hunger resume.
Being carrying excess weight elevates your risk for experiencing health problems, like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight affects individuals in countries worldwide and was responsible for 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
