Under one in 10 people that would benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy have access to them, caution the WHO as it issues its first advice on the therapies.
Considering over a billion individuals worldwide currently classified as obese, it is advocating for increased and just access to GLP-1 medication.
According to forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our new guidance affirms that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be managed with holistic and ongoing care," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are significant obstacles to widespread availability to the injections that can aid individuals in losing substantial body mass, notes the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even in the current most optimistic outlook, the manufacturing of such drugs could only cover approximately 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, as stated by the WHO.
The guideline urges governments and firms to widen availability, through strategies like patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the primary ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in several countries in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Work
GLP-1 drugs replicate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and boost the sense of being full so users consume fewer calories.
People typically start to lose weight in the initial weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Research indicates patients may put most of the weight back on within a year of discontinuing the drug, when their typical appetite come back.
To be above a healthy weight increases your likelihood for experiencing diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Obesity affects individuals in every country and was associated with over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
