Fewer than 10% of patients that would benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy have access to them, warns the WHO as it releases its first advice on the drugs.
Considering more than one billion people worldwide now living with obesity, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer availability to this class of drugs.
Based on projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our new guidance recognises that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be managed with thorough and continuous support," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are major hurdles to universal access to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing considerable weight, explains the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Even under the present best projected scenario, the production of GLP-1 therapies might only reach about 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, according to the health organization.
The advice calls on nations and manufacturers to widen access, via strategies such as voluntary licensing.
A patent on a key compound – the core ingredient of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in multiple countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Operate
These medications replicate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and boost the sense of being full so individuals eat less.
Patients commonly see weight reduction within a few weeks of commencing the regular doses.
Studies points to users may see weight return a year later of discontinuing the medication, when their usual appetite return.
Being carrying excess weight increases your likelihood for developing medical conditions, including diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight impacts people in all nations and was responsible for over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
