Under 10% of individuals that would benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy can access them, states the World Health Organization as it issues its initial advice on the medications.
Given more than one billion individuals worldwide now obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer access to this class of drugs.
According to estimates, over two billion could be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidelines recognises that obesity is a long-term condition that can be managed with thorough and continuous support," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are significant hurdles to widespread availability to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing considerable weight, explains the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Even in the present best projected scenario, the production of GLP-1 therapies could only cover approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the WHO.
The guideline calls on countries and companies to expand access, via strategies including voluntary licensing.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the core ingredient of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in multiple nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Injections Function
These medications mimick a natural hormone to slow digestion, reduce hunger and enhance feelings of fullness so users eat less.
Patients commonly start to lose weight within a few weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Evidence points to patients may regain a significant portion after a year of discontinuing the drug, when their usual food cravings come back.
Being carrying excess weight increases your likelihood for developing diseases, like diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Excess weight concerns individuals in all nations and was linked to millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
