Less than a tenth of individuals eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy are able to get them, warns the WHO as it issues its initial guidance on the medications.
Considering over a billion individuals worldwide now classified as obese, it is advocating for increased and just availability to GLP-1 medication.
Based on estimates, over two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our new guidance recognises that obesity is a long-term condition that can be managed with thorough and ongoing treatment," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are major obstacles to universal availability to the injections that can help people shift significant body mass, says the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even in the current most favorable scenario, the production of such drugs would only suffice for about 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, according to the WHO.
The guideline urges countries and companies to increase access, by strategies such as patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the main ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple nations in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Operate
GLP-1 drugs imitate a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and enhance the sense of being full so users eat less.
Individuals usually start to lose weight after several weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Studies points to users may regain a significant portion after a year of stopping the drug, as their typical food cravings come back.
Being carrying excess weight raises your likelihood for experiencing health problems, like diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and some cancers.
Excess weight affects people in every country and was linked to over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
