Under one in 10 patients that would benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy have access to them, states the World Health Organization as it publishes its initial advice on the drugs.
Considering more than one billion people worldwide now classified as obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable access to this class of drugs.
According to forecasts, more than two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The latest guidelines acknowledges that obesity is a long-term condition that can be managed with comprehensive and lifelong treatment," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are major barriers to widespread access to the injections that can assist patients in reducing significant weight, says the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Even in the present most optimistic scenario, the supply of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, as stated by the WHO.
The advice urges nations and manufacturers to widen access, by strategies like patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the main ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Work
These medications replicate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and enhance feelings of fullness so users reduce food intake.
Patients typically see weight reduction in the initial weeks of commencing the regular doses.
Research points to people may put most of the weight back on after a year of halting the treatment, as their normal hunger resume.
To be above a healthy weight elevates your chance for experiencing diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight concerns people in all nations and was responsible for 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
