Fewer than 10% of people who could benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy have access to them, states the World Health Organization as it publishes its inaugural advice on the drugs.
With more than one billion individuals worldwide currently obese, it is calling for increased and just availability to these injectable treatments.
According to estimates, over two billion will be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidelines recognises that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be treated with comprehensive and lifelong support," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are key obstacles to universal availability to the injections that can help people shift considerable weight, notes the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Even under the present most optimistic case, the manufacturing of these medications would only suffice for about 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, according to the health organization.
The guideline encourages governments and firms to widen availability, by measures such as patent sharing.
A patent on the active ingredient – the main ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in several nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Injections Function
GLP-1 drugs imitate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and increase satiety so people reduce food intake.
Patients commonly see weight reduction within a few weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Research suggests users may put most of the weight back on within a year of halting the drug, because their normal food cravings resume.
To be overweight or obese increases your risk for experiencing diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight affects people in all nations and was responsible for 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
