Less than one in 10 individuals who could benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy can access them, caution the World Health Organization as it issues its inaugural recommendations on the therapies.
Considering more than one billion people worldwide currently obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable access to this class of drugs.
According to estimates, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidelines affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be managed with holistic and continuous treatment," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are key obstacles to broad availability to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing significant weight, explains the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even under the present most favorable outlook, the supply of these medications might only reach approximately 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, per the WHO.
The recommendation calls on governments and firms to increase access, through measures like patent sharing.
A patent on the active ingredient – the primary ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Work
The injections mimick a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and enhance the sense of being full so individuals eat less.
People usually start to lose weight in the initial weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Evidence indicates people may put most of the weight back on a year later of halting the drug, as their usual hunger come back.
Being carrying excess weight raises your risk for experiencing diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Obesity affects individuals in countries worldwide and was associated with 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
