Less than 10% of individuals eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy are able to get them, caution the global health agency as it issues its first guidance on the drugs.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer availability to GLP-1 medication.
Based on forecasts, over two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The new guidelines recognises that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be treated with comprehensive and lifelong support," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are major obstacles to widespread access to the injections that can aid individuals in losing significant weight, explains the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Even in the current most optimistic scenario, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies might only reach around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, as stated by the WHO.
The recommendation encourages governments and firms to widen availability, via measures such as patent sharing.
A patent on a key compound – the core component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in several countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Operate
These medications replicate a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and increase the sense of being full so people eat less.
Patients usually begin shedding pounds after several weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Research indicates patients may put most of the weight back on after a year of halting the drug, as their typical hunger resume.
Being overweight or obese increases your risk for developing health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Obesity impacts individuals in countries worldwide and was linked to over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
