Less than one in 10 individuals that would benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy can access them, caution the World Health Organization as it releases its first advice on the medications.
With more than one billion people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is calling for more widespread and fairer availability to these injectable treatments.
According to projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The latest guidance affirms that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be treated with comprehensive and continuous support," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are major obstacles to broad availability to the treatments that can help people shift considerable body mass, explains the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even in the current most favorable scenario, the production of such drugs might only reach around 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, per the WHO.
The recommendation calls on countries and companies to expand access, by measures including licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the core ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Operate
The injections mimick a biological compound to slow digestion, reduce hunger and increase the sense of being full so users consume fewer calories.
Individuals commonly see weight reduction in the initial weeks of commencing the regular doses.
Evidence points to users may see weight return a year later of discontinuing the drug, as their normal food cravings come back.
Being carrying excess weight increases your risk for contracting medical conditions, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight concerns individuals in countries worldwide and was associated with over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
