Under a tenth of individuals who could benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy are able to get them, warns the WHO as it publishes its initial guidance on the drugs.
Considering more than one billion individuals worldwide now obese, it is advocating for increased and just access to GLP-1 medication.
Based on forecasts, over two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our new guidelines acknowledges that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be treated with thorough and ongoing treatment," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are significant obstacles to universal availability to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing substantial body mass, notes the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Despite the present best projected outlook, the supply of such drugs would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the health organization.
The guideline urges nations and manufacturers to widen access, by measures such as patent sharing.
A patent on the active ingredient – the primary ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Injections Work
GLP-1 drugs mimick a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and increase satiety so individuals eat less.
Individuals typically start to lose weight in the initial weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence suggests users may see weight return a year later of stopping the medication, as their typical hunger resume.
To be carrying excess weight increases your likelihood for experiencing health problems, like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Obesity impacts people in all nations and was responsible for over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
