Less than 10% of patients eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy have access to them, warns the World Health Organization as it releases its initial guidance on the drugs.
Given in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide currently obese, it is urging broader and more equitable access to these injectable treatments.
Per projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our latest guidelines recognises that obesity is a long-term condition that can be managed with thorough and lifelong care," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are major barriers to universal availability to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing substantial body mass, says the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Even in the present most optimistic case, the manufacturing of such drugs could only cover approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, per the health organization.
The recommendation urges nations and manufacturers to increase access, by approaches like patent sharing.
A patent on the active ingredient – the main component of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in multiple countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Injections Operate
The injections imitate a body's own hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and increase the sense of being full so people reduce food intake.
People commonly start to lose weight within a few weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence suggests users may put most of the weight back on a year later of discontinuing the medication, as their normal appetite resume.
Being overweight or obese elevates your risk for contracting diseases, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight affects people in all nations and was responsible for 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
