Less than one in 10 patients that would benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy are able to get them, states the World Health Organization as it releases its initial recommendations on the therapies.
Given in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer access to this class of drugs.
Based on projections, over two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our new guidelines recognises that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be treated with holistic and continuous treatment," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are major obstacles to broad availability to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing considerable weight, notes the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Even under the current most favorable outlook, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, according to the WHO.
The guideline encourages nations and manufacturers to expand access, through measures including voluntary licensing.
A patent on semaglutide – the main ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Operate
These medications replicate a natural hormone to slow digestion, reduce hunger and increase the sense of being full so individuals reduce food intake.
Patients usually start to lose weight in the initial weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Studies indicates patients may see weight return a year later of discontinuing the medication, as their normal food cravings resume.
To be overweight or obese elevates your chance for developing medical conditions, like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight impacts people in all nations and was responsible for 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
