Less than a tenth of people who could benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy have access to them, caution the World Health Organization as it releases its first guidance on the drugs.
With more than one billion individuals worldwide currently living with obesity, it is urging more widespread and fairer availability to these injectable treatments.
Per projections, over two billion could be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our latest guidance recognises that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be managed with holistic and ongoing support," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are key hurdles to broad availability to the injections that can aid individuals in losing considerable body mass, explains the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Even under the current most favorable scenario, the supply of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for about 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, per the WHO.
The guideline calls on governments and firms to expand access, by strategies such as voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the primary ingredient of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in a number of nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Work
These medications mimick a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and boost the sense of being full so individuals reduce food intake.
Patients commonly begin shedding pounds after several weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Research indicates patients may regain a significant portion a year later of stopping the treatment, as their usual appetite come back.
Being carrying excess weight increases your risk for experiencing health problems, such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers.
Excess weight affects people in every country and was responsible for 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
