Fewer than a tenth of people eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy can access them, caution the World Health Organization as it releases its inaugural advice on the therapies.
Given in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer access to GLP-1 medication.
According to projections, over two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidance acknowledges that obesity is a long-term condition that can be managed with thorough and lifelong support," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are significant obstacles to broad access to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing significant body mass, explains the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Even in the current best projected scenario, the manufacturing of these medications might only reach approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the WHO.
The advice encourages governments and firms to expand access, through measures including voluntary licensing.
A patent on the active ingredient – the core component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in several nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Operate
The injections imitate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and enhance the sense of being full so individuals consume fewer calories.
Individuals commonly begin shedding pounds after several weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Research indicates people may see weight return a year later of halting the medication, because their usual appetite return.
To be carrying excess weight elevates your likelihood for experiencing health problems, such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Obesity affects individuals in countries worldwide and was associated with millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
