Fewer than 10% of patients who could benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy can access them, states the WHO as it publishes its inaugural guidance on the drugs.
Considering more than one billion people worldwide now living with obesity, it is advocating for increased and just access to GLP-1 medication.
Based on estimates, more than two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our latest guidelines acknowledges that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be managed with holistic and lifelong care," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are significant hurdles to universal availability to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing considerable weight, explains the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Even in the present most optimistic case, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies might only reach about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the health organization.
The recommendation urges nations and manufacturers to widen access, by strategies such as licensing agreements.
A patent on the active ingredient – the core component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in a number of countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Injections Function
These medications imitate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and boost satiety so users consume fewer calories.
Individuals usually start to lose weight in the initial weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Research points to users may put most of the weight back on a year later of halting the medication, when their typical food cravings come back.
To be overweight or obese elevates your risk for contracting medical conditions, including diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight impacts individuals in countries worldwide and was linked to millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
