Under 10% of individuals who could benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy can access them, warns the World Health Organization as it releases its first advice on the medications.
Considering more than one billion people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer access to these injectable treatments.
Per estimates, over two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidelines acknowledges that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be managed with comprehensive and continuous support," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are significant barriers to broad availability to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing considerable weight, says the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even in the present most optimistic scenario, the manufacturing of these medications might only reach approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, according to the health organization.
The guideline urges nations and manufacturers to increase availability, via approaches like licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the main component of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in several countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Operate
GLP-1 drugs imitate a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and increase satiety so users reduce food intake.
Individuals usually begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Research indicates people may see weight return within a year of discontinuing the drug, when their typical food cravings resume.
To be above a healthy weight increases your chance for experiencing health problems, like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight affects individuals in every country and was linked to millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
