Less than a tenth of individuals eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy can access them, states the World Health Organization as it publishes its inaugural guidance on the drugs.
With over a billion individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is urging increased and just availability to this class of drugs.
Based on estimates, over two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidelines affirms that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be managed with comprehensive and lifelong support," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are key barriers to universal availability to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing significant weight, explains the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Despite the current most favorable case, the production of GLP-1 therapies could only cover around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the health organization.
The recommendation encourages governments and firms to widen availability, through measures including patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the core ingredient of a leading brand – is due to expire in a number of countries in 2026.
How Obesity Drugs Function
The injections imitate a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and enhance feelings of fullness so people eat less.
Patients typically start to lose weight in the initial weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Studies points to people may put most of the weight back on a year later of stopping the treatment, as their normal hunger resume.
To be overweight or obese raises your chance for developing health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Obesity impacts people in countries worldwide and was associated with 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
