Under one in 10 people eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy have access to them, warns the WHO as it issues its first recommendations on the medications.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now obese, it is urging broader and more equitable access to this class of drugs.
According to forecasts, more than two billion could be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidance acknowledges that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be treated with thorough and ongoing care," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are key hurdles to widespread access to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing substantial weight, explains the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Even under the present most optimistic scenario, the supply of these medications would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, per the health organization.
The recommendation encourages nations and manufacturers to widen availability, by strategies such as patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the primary component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in a number of countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Injections Function
These medications imitate a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and enhance the sense of being full so individuals consume fewer calories.
Patients usually start to lose weight after several weeks of commencing the regular doses.
Research suggests users may see weight return after a year of stopping the treatment, because their normal hunger come back.
Being carrying excess weight elevates your likelihood for experiencing medical conditions, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight concerns individuals in all nations and was linked to millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
