Fewer than a tenth of individuals eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy can access them, caution the World Health Organization as it issues its first recommendations on the therapies.
Given more than one billion individuals worldwide currently obese, it is calling for increased and just access to these injectable treatments.
Based on forecasts, more than two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidelines affirms that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be treated with comprehensive and lifelong support," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are key obstacles to broad availability to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing considerable weight, notes the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Despite the present most favorable outlook, the manufacturing of these medications could only cover around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the WHO.
The advice calls on nations and manufacturers to expand availability, by strategies including patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the primary component of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in several nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Injections 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.
Individuals usually start to lose weight after several weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence points to patients may see weight return within a year of discontinuing the treatment, when their typical appetite return.
To be above a healthy weight elevates your risk for contracting health problems, including diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight impacts people in countries worldwide and was responsible for millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
