Fewer than a tenth of individuals who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy can access them, caution the global health agency as it issues its inaugural recommendations on the therapies.
Considering over a billion people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is calling for broader and more equitable access to this class of drugs.
According to projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidelines acknowledges that obesity is a long-term condition that can be managed with thorough and continuous support," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are key hurdles to universal access to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing considerable body mass, notes the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Despite the current best projected scenario, the supply of such drugs could only cover around 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, according to the health organization.
The advice calls on countries and companies to widen access, by strategies including patent sharing.
A patent on the active ingredient – the main ingredient of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in a number of nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Function
The injections replicate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and increase satiety so individuals reduce food intake.
Patients commonly begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Research points to people may see weight return a year later of discontinuing the medication, when their typical appetite resume.
Being overweight or obese increases your risk for contracting medical conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight affects individuals in every country and was associated with millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
