Fewer than one in 10 patients that would benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy have access to them, caution the World Health Organization as it publishes its first recommendations on the therapies.
Considering more than one billion people worldwide now living with obesity, it is calling for increased and just access to GLP-1 medication.
Per projections, more than two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The new guidelines acknowledges that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be addressed with holistic and ongoing support," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are major hurdles to universal access to the jabs that can help people shift significant body mass, explains the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Even in the present best projected scenario, the supply of these medications might only reach approximately 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, per the WHO.
The advice urges nations and manufacturers to increase availability, via strategies such as patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the primary ingredient of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in multiple countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Function
The injections mimick a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and boost feelings of fullness so individuals eat less.
Individuals usually start to lose weight after several weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Studies indicates people may regain a significant portion within a year of halting the treatment, because their normal appetite resume.
To be carrying excess weight increases your chance for experiencing diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Obesity affects people in countries worldwide and was associated with millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
