Fewer than one in 10 individuals eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy are able to get them, states the World Health Organization as it releases its first advice on the medications.
Considering more than one billion individuals worldwide now classified as obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable availability to these injectable treatments.
Based on projections, more than two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidance recognises that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be treated with thorough and ongoing treatment," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are significant hurdles to widespread availability to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing substantial weight, explains the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even in the current most favorable case, the supply of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, according to the health organization.
The guideline calls on nations and manufacturers to widen access, via approaches including licensing agreements.
A patent on semaglutide – the primary ingredient of a leading brand – is set to lapse in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Injections Operate
GLP-1 drugs mimick a biological compound to slow digestion, curb appetite and boost feelings of fullness so people eat less.
Individuals commonly see weight reduction in the initial weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Studies indicates people may put most of the weight back on after a year of discontinuing the drug, because their typical appetite come back.
To be above a healthy weight raises your chance for contracting diseases, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers.
Obesity impacts people in every country and was responsible for over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
