Fewer than a tenth of individuals who could benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy can access them, warns the WHO as it publishes its initial recommendations on the drugs.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide now obese, it is urging broader and more equitable availability to this class of drugs.
Based on forecasts, more than two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be treated with holistic and ongoing care," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are significant hurdles to widespread availability to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing significant weight, explains the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Despite the present most optimistic scenario, the production of these medications would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, per the WHO.
The advice urges countries and companies to expand access, through strategies like voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the main component of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple nations in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Operate
These medications imitate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and enhance feelings of fullness so people consume fewer calories.
Patients typically see weight reduction after several weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Research indicates users may see weight return within a year of discontinuing the treatment, as their typical appetite return.
Being carrying excess weight raises your risk for experiencing diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight concerns people in all nations and was responsible for 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
