Fewer than 10% of individuals eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy have access to them, warns the World Health Organization as it issues its first recommendations on the drugs.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is calling for more widespread and fairer access to GLP-1 medication.
Based on forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our latest guidance affirms that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be treated with holistic and continuous treatment," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are major hurdles to widespread access to the injections that can help people shift substantial body mass, explains the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Even under the present best projected case, the production of these medications might only reach approximately 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, as stated by the health organization.
The advice urges governments and firms to expand access, through strategies like voluntary licensing.
A patent on the active ingredient – the main ingredient of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in several nations in 2026.
How Obesity Drugs Operate
The injections replicate a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and enhance feelings of fullness so users reduce food intake.
Individuals commonly begin shedding pounds after several weeks of commencing the regular doses.
Studies suggests people may put most of the weight back on within a year of stopping the treatment, because their usual hunger resume.
To be above a healthy weight increases your chance for developing medical conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and specific cancers.
Excess weight impacts individuals in countries worldwide and was associated with 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
