Fewer than a tenth of individuals that would benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy have access to them, warns the World Health Organization as it issues its inaugural advice on the therapies.
With more than one billion individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is urging broader and more equitable access to these injectable treatments.
According to projections, more than two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidance affirms that obesity is a long-term condition that can be managed with thorough and ongoing treatment," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are significant hurdles to universal availability to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing substantial body mass, notes the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even under the current best projected outlook, the supply of GLP-1 therapies could only cover about 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, according to the health organization.
The guideline encourages nations and manufacturers to expand availability, through strategies like patent sharing.
A patent on the active ingredient – the main ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Operate
These medications imitate a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and boost the sense of being full so individuals eat less.
Individuals usually start to lose weight after several weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Evidence indicates people may regain a significant portion a year later of halting the medication, because their normal appetite come back.
To be overweight or obese elevates your risk for contracting health problems, such as diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain cancers.
Obesity concerns individuals in all nations and was linked to 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
