Fewer than 10% of patients who could benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy can access them, states the World Health Organization as it releases its initial recommendations on the drugs.
Given more than one billion individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is advocating for increased and just access to these injectable treatments.
Per estimates, more than two billion will be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our new guidance affirms that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be managed with thorough and lifelong support," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are significant hurdles to broad access to the injections that can help people shift significant weight, says the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Despite the present most optimistic case, the production of GLP-1 therapies might only reach around 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, according to the health organization.
The advice calls on governments and firms to expand availability, by approaches such as voluntary licensing.
A patent on the active ingredient – the primary component of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in several nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Operate
GLP-1 drugs mimick a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and enhance feelings of fullness so individuals consume fewer calories.
Patients commonly see weight reduction in the initial weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Studies indicates users may regain a significant portion within a year of halting the drug, as their normal hunger resume.
Being carrying excess weight raises your chance for contracting health problems, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some malignancies.
Excess weight impacts individuals in countries worldwide and was associated with over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
