Fewer than a tenth of individuals that would benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy can access them, warns the WHO as it issues its initial guidance on the therapies.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now living with obesity, it is advocating for increased and just availability to these injectable treatments.
According to projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our new guidelines acknowledges that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be treated with thorough and ongoing care," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are key hurdles to widespread access to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing considerable body mass, notes the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even in the present most optimistic outlook, the production of GLP-1 therapies could only cover about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, according to the health organization.
The guideline urges governments and firms to widen access, by measures such as licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the core component of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in a number of nations in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Work
GLP-1 drugs imitate a biological compound to slow digestion, reduce hunger and enhance the sense of being full so people consume fewer calories.
People usually start to lose weight in the initial weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Studies suggests patients may put most of the weight back on within a year of halting the treatment, because their typical hunger return.
Being above a healthy weight elevates your likelihood for developing medical conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Obesity affects individuals in countries worldwide and was linked to over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
