Under 10% of individuals that would benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy are able to get them, warns the World Health Organization as it releases its inaugural advice on the drugs.
Considering more than one billion individuals worldwide currently living with obesity, it is advocating for broader and more equitable access to this class of drugs.
Per forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidelines recognises that obesity is a chronic disease that can be addressed with thorough and ongoing treatment," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are significant hurdles to widespread access to the injections that can help people shift significant body mass, notes the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Even under the present best projected case, the supply of these medications could only cover about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, per the health organization.
The recommendation calls on governments and firms to expand access, via approaches such as licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the primary component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in several countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Drugs Work
These medications imitate a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and enhance the sense of being full so people reduce food intake.
Patients typically start to lose weight within a few weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Research indicates people may see weight return a year later of halting the treatment, when their normal food cravings return.
Being above a healthy weight elevates your chance for developing medical conditions, including diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Obesity impacts individuals in all nations and was responsible for millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
