Fewer than a tenth of individuals that would benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy can access them, warns the World Health Organization as it releases its first advice on the drugs.
With more than one billion people worldwide currently obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer access to GLP-1 medication.
Per estimates, more than two billion will be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The new guidelines recognises that obesity is a long-term condition that can be treated with comprehensive and continuous support," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are key barriers to universal availability to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing substantial weight, notes the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even in the present most favorable outlook, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for around 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, according to the WHO.
The guideline calls on countries and companies to increase access, through approaches like voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the primary ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Drugs Function
The injections imitate a body's own hormone to slow digestion, reduce hunger and increase the sense of being full so users reduce food intake.
People commonly start to lose weight in the initial weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Research suggests patients may see weight return after a year of halting the treatment, when their typical food cravings come back.
To be above a healthy weight raises your chance for experiencing medical conditions, like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some malignancies.
Obesity impacts individuals in every country and was linked to over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
