Less than one in 10 individuals eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy have access to them, states the WHO as it releases its first recommendations on the drugs.
Given in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is calling for increased and just availability to these injectable treatments.
According to estimates, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our new guidance acknowledges that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be managed with comprehensive and lifelong support," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are key obstacles to universal availability to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing considerable weight, says the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even in the current best projected case, the manufacturing of such drugs would only suffice for about 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, as stated by the health organization.
The guideline encourages nations and manufacturers to increase access, through measures including patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the main ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in a number of nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Injections Function
These medications imitate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and enhance satiety so individuals consume fewer calories.
Patients commonly start to lose weight within a few weeks of commencing the regular doses.
Evidence points to patients may regain a significant portion a year later of discontinuing the treatment, because their normal hunger return.
To be carrying excess weight elevates your risk for contracting medical conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Obesity impacts individuals in all nations and was linked to 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
