Fewer than 10% of individuals eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy have access to them, states the World Health Organization as it issues its inaugural advice on the therapies.
Given over a billion individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is urging increased and just availability to these injectable treatments.
Per forecasts, over two billion will be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidance affirms that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be treated with holistic and ongoing care," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are significant hurdles to universal availability to the injections that can assist patients in reducing significant weight, says the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even in the current best projected case, the production of such drugs might only reach around 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, per the health organization.
The recommendation encourages governments and firms to increase availability, by measures including voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the main component of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in several countries in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Function
GLP-1 drugs mimick a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and increase satiety so individuals reduce food intake.
Patients typically begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Studies suggests people may see weight return after a year of halting the medication, when their normal hunger resume.
To be above a healthy weight raises your likelihood for developing health problems, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers.
Excess weight impacts people in all nations and was responsible for over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
