Under 10% of individuals who could benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy have access to them, warns the WHO as it releases its first guidance on the drugs.
Considering over a billion people worldwide now classified as obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer availability to GLP-1 medication.
Per forecasts, over two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our latest guidelines affirms that obesity is a long-term condition that can be addressed with comprehensive and lifelong care," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are major hurdles to universal availability to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing substantial weight, says the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even under the current most favorable scenario, the supply of these medications might only reach around 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, according to the health organization.
The recommendation urges governments and firms to increase availability, via measures like voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the primary ingredient of a leading brand – is due to expire in a number of countries in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Work
The injections imitate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and increase feelings of fullness so individuals reduce food intake.
People typically begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence suggests patients may see weight return after a year of stopping the drug, as their usual appetite come back.
To be carrying excess weight raises your chance for developing health problems, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some cancers.
Obesity concerns individuals in all nations and was responsible for millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
