Under a tenth of people who could benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy can access them, states the World Health Organization as it releases its first guidance on the medications.
Given more than one billion people worldwide now classified as obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer access to these injectable treatments.
According to estimates, over two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The new guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be treated with holistic and continuous care," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are major barriers to widespread availability to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing substantial body mass, explains the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even in the present most optimistic scenario, the production of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, according to the WHO.
The advice encourages governments and firms to widen access, through approaches including voluntary licensing.
A patent on the active ingredient – the core ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple countries in 2026.
How Obesity Drugs Work
The injections imitate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and enhance satiety so individuals reduce food intake.
People commonly start to lose weight within a few weeks of commencing the regular doses.
Studies points to patients may put most of the weight back on a year later of halting the drug, when their typical appetite come back.
To be carrying excess weight elevates your likelihood for contracting diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Excess weight impacts individuals in every country and was responsible for millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
