Fewer than one in 10 patients who could benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy can access them, warns the WHO as it releases its initial advice on the medications.
Considering over a billion individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is calling for more widespread and fairer availability to these injectable treatments.
Based on projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our new guidelines acknowledges that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be managed with thorough and ongoing support," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are significant obstacles to broad access to the injections that can aid individuals in losing considerable weight, says the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Despite the present most favorable case, the production of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, according to the health organization.
The advice urges countries and companies to widen availability, through strategies like patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the main ingredient of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in multiple countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Work
These medications imitate a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and increase feelings of fullness so individuals eat less.
People commonly see weight reduction in the initial weeks of commencing the regular doses.
Evidence points to patients may see weight return a year later of stopping the drug, when their normal food cravings resume.
To be above a healthy weight raises your likelihood for developing health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and specific cancers.
Excess weight affects individuals in every country and was associated with millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
