Under 10% of patients that would benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy are able to get them, states the global health agency as it publishes its first recommendations on the drugs.
With more than one billion people worldwide now living with obesity, it is advocating for broader and more equitable availability to these injectable treatments.
According to forecasts, more than two billion could be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidance acknowledges that obesity is a long-term condition that can be treated with comprehensive and lifelong treatment," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are major hurdles to broad access to the injections that can aid individuals in losing substantial weight, notes the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Despite the present best projected outlook, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for about 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the health organization.
The recommendation encourages countries and companies to increase access, by approaches such as voluntary licensing.
A patent on the active ingredient – the main ingredient of a leading brand – is set to lapse in multiple nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Injections Operate
These medications mimick a body's own hormone to slow digestion, curb appetite and boost the sense of being full so people reduce food intake.
Patients commonly start to lose weight within a few weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Studies suggests patients may regain a significant portion within a year of stopping the treatment, as their normal appetite come back.
To be carrying excess weight raises your chance for developing diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Obesity concerns people in all nations and was associated with 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
