Less than a tenth of patients who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy can access them, caution the World Health Organization as it releases its initial guidance on the drugs.
With over a billion people worldwide now living with obesity, it is advocating for broader and more equitable availability to this class of drugs.
According to forecasts, more than two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidelines affirms that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be managed with holistic and continuous treatment," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are key obstacles to broad availability to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing considerable body mass, notes the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Even in the present best projected outlook, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, per the WHO.
The guideline urges countries and companies to expand access, through strategies like patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the main ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Jabs Work
These medications replicate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and boost feelings of fullness so people reduce food intake.
Patients commonly see weight reduction within a few weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Studies suggests patients may see weight return a year later of stopping the medication, because their usual appetite resume.
Being carrying excess weight elevates your chance for developing medical conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Obesity concerns individuals in every country and was responsible for millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.