Under 10% of patients that would benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy have access to them, caution the global health agency as it publishes its initial advice on the medications.
Given in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide now obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable access to these injectable treatments.
Based on forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidelines affirms that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be addressed with comprehensive and continuous care," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are key barriers to widespread access to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing substantial weight, explains the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Despite the present most optimistic outlook, the production of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, as stated by the WHO.
The advice calls on countries and companies to widen access, through approaches including patent sharing.
A patent on the active ingredient – the core ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in a number of nations in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Work
GLP-1 drugs replicate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and enhance the sense of being full so users reduce food intake.
Patients usually begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of commencing the regular doses.
Evidence indicates patients may regain a significant portion within a year of halting the drug, as their normal food cravings return.
To be above a healthy weight elevates your risk for developing diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some cancers.
Excess weight concerns individuals in countries worldwide and was linked to over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
