Fewer than 10% of individuals who could benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy are able to get them, caution the WHO as it releases its inaugural guidance on the drugs.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide now classified as obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer availability to this class of drugs.
Per forecasts, more than two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidelines affirms that obesity is a chronic disease that can be addressed with thorough and ongoing care," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are key hurdles to broad access to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing considerable body mass, notes the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even in the current most favorable case, the production of such drugs would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, per the health organization.
The recommendation calls on countries and companies to widen availability, via approaches including voluntary licensing.
A patent on the active ingredient – the main ingredient of a leading brand – is due to expire in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Injections Operate
GLP-1 drugs mimick a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and boost feelings of fullness so users consume fewer calories.
People usually start to lose weight in the initial weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Studies suggests people may put most of the weight back on a year later of stopping the treatment, when their normal food cravings return.
To be above a healthy weight elevates your risk for contracting diseases, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers.
Excess weight impacts individuals in every country and was linked to 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
