Fewer than one in 10 individuals who could benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy have access to them, caution the WHO as it publishes its inaugural recommendations on the drugs.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide currently obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer access to GLP-1 medication.
Based on projections, over two billion could be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be treated with comprehensive and lifelong care," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are significant hurdles to universal access to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing substantial weight, explains the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Despite the present most favorable scenario, the manufacturing of these medications could only cover about 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, according to the health organization.
The recommendation encourages governments and firms to widen availability, through measures like patent sharing.
A patent on a key compound – the primary ingredient of a leading brand – is set to lapse in a number of countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Work
GLP-1 drugs imitate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and enhance satiety so users consume fewer calories.
People typically start to lose weight in the initial weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Research indicates patients may see weight return a year later of stopping the treatment, when their normal food cravings return.
Being carrying excess weight increases your chance for contracting diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and some cancers.
Excess weight impacts individuals in all nations and was responsible for millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
