Under 10% of people that would benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy can access them, warns the World Health Organization as it publishes its inaugural advice on the therapies.
Given more than one billion individuals worldwide currently obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable access to GLP-1 medication.
According to estimates, more than two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidance affirms that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be treated with holistic and continuous care," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are significant hurdles to widespread access to the treatments that can help people shift considerable body mass, says the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even under the current best projected outlook, the manufacturing of these medications would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, per the health organization.
The recommendation urges nations and manufacturers to widen availability, by measures including voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the primary component of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in several nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Injections Work
GLP-1 drugs replicate a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and increase feelings of fullness so individuals reduce food intake.
People usually start to lose weight in the initial weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Evidence indicates people may put most of the weight back on after a year of halting the treatment, when their usual food cravings return.
To be carrying excess weight elevates your chance for developing health problems, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight affects individuals in countries worldwide and was linked to 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
