Less than one in 10 individuals that would benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy have access to them, caution the World Health Organization as it releases its inaugural guidance on the medications.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide currently classified as obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer access to GLP-1 medication.
Per forecasts, more than two billion could be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our latest guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with thorough and lifelong treatment," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are significant obstacles to universal access to the treatments that can help people shift significant body mass, notes the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Even in the present most optimistic outlook, the supply of these medications could only cover about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, per the WHO.
The guideline encourages governments and firms to widen availability, through approaches like voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the primary ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in multiple countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Injections Work
The injections replicate a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and boost feelings of fullness so people consume fewer calories.
People commonly start to lose weight within a few weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Studies indicates people may put most of the weight back on a year later of stopping the medication, when their typical appetite resume.
Being above a healthy weight elevates your likelihood for developing medical conditions, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Obesity concerns individuals in all nations and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
