Under one in 10 people who could benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy can access them, states the World Health Organization as it publishes its inaugural advice on the therapies.
Considering over a billion individuals worldwide currently living with obesity, it is calling for increased and just access to these injectable treatments.
Per forecasts, over two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidance acknowledges that obesity is a chronic disease that can be treated with thorough and continuous support," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are major obstacles to widespread access to the injections that can assist patients in reducing substantial body mass, explains the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even under the current best projected outlook, the production of these medications would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, per the WHO.
The guideline calls on nations and manufacturers to widen access, via measures like voluntary licensing.
A patent on semaglutide – the primary component of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in a number of countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Work
GLP-1 drugs imitate a body's own hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and boost the sense of being full so users eat less.
People usually start to lose weight after several weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Research suggests people may see weight return after a year of discontinuing the drug, when their usual hunger come back.
To be above a healthy weight increases your chance for experiencing health problems, like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and some malignancies.
Excess weight concerns people in every country and was associated with over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
