Less than a tenth of people eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy have access to them, warns the World Health Organization as it publishes its initial advice on the medications.
Considering more than one billion individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is advocating for increased and just availability to these injectable treatments.
According to estimates, more than two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidance acknowledges that obesity is a chronic disease that can be addressed with thorough and lifelong treatment," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are key hurdles to universal access to the treatments that can help people shift significant weight, explains the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Despite the present most favorable outlook, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies might only reach around 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, according to the WHO.
The guideline calls on nations and manufacturers to expand availability, by strategies such as patent sharing.
A patent on a key compound – the core component of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Operate
The injections replicate a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and boost the sense of being full so people reduce food intake.
People typically start to lose weight within a few weeks of commencing the regular doses.
Evidence indicates people may see weight return a year later of halting the medication, because their normal hunger resume.
Being carrying excess weight increases your likelihood for developing diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and certain cancers.
Obesity impacts individuals in countries worldwide and was linked to millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
