Less than 10% of patients that would benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy can access them, states the global health agency as it releases its first guidance on the therapies.
With over a billion individuals worldwide now classified as obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer access to GLP-1 medication.
According to forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our new guidelines recognises that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be treated with comprehensive and lifelong care," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are significant hurdles to widespread access to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing significant body mass, notes the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Despite the current most favorable case, the production of such drugs might only reach approximately 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, as stated by the health organization.
The guideline urges countries and companies to increase availability, by strategies such as voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the core ingredient of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Injections Operate
GLP-1 drugs replicate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and enhance the sense of being full so people reduce food intake.
Patients usually see weight reduction in the initial weeks of commencing the regular doses.
Research suggests users may see weight return after a year of halting the drug, as their typical food cravings come back.
Being above a healthy weight elevates your chance for developing medical conditions, including diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight affects people in every country and was responsible for over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
