Less than 10% of people who could benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy can access them, warns the WHO as it releases its first advice on the drugs.
Considering more than one billion individuals worldwide currently obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer availability to these injectable treatments.
Per estimates, more than two billion could be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidance recognises that obesity is a chronic disease that can be addressed with holistic and continuous support," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are significant hurdles to universal availability to the treatments that can help people shift substantial body mass, explains the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Even in the current most favorable outlook, the production of such drugs would only suffice for about 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, according to the WHO.
The advice urges nations and manufacturers to increase access, through strategies such as patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the main ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in several nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Function
GLP-1 drugs replicate a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and boost feelings of fullness so people consume fewer calories.
Individuals commonly begin shedding pounds after several weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Studies suggests patients may regain a significant portion a year later of stopping the medication, when their normal hunger return.
To be overweight or obese elevates your risk for contracting medical conditions, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and some cancers.
Excess weight concerns people in every country and was associated with millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
