Fewer than one in 10 individuals eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy have access to them, caution the World Health Organization as it publishes its inaugural guidance on the drugs.
Given in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is advocating for broader and more equitable access to these injectable treatments.
According to projections, over two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our new guidance affirms that obesity is a chronic disease that can be addressed with holistic and lifelong treatment," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are key obstacles to broad availability to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing substantial body mass, notes the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Even in the present best projected case, the supply of such drugs could only cover around 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, as stated by the health organization.
The recommendation calls on nations and manufacturers to widen availability, through approaches such as voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the main component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in several nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Injections Function
GLP-1 drugs mimick a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and boost satiety so people consume fewer calories.
Patients typically start to lose weight after several weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Studies points to people may see weight return a year later of discontinuing the drug, as their typical hunger resume.
Being carrying excess weight raises your likelihood for developing health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Obesity concerns people in countries worldwide and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
