Less than a tenth of people eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy can access them, warns the World Health Organization as it issues its first advice on the therapies.
With over a billion individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is calling for increased and just availability to these injectable treatments.
Based on projections, over two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our latest guidance affirms that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be treated with comprehensive and ongoing treatment," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are significant barriers to universal access to the injections that can assist patients in reducing significant body mass, explains the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Despite the present most optimistic case, the supply of such drugs could only cover around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, per the health organization.
The advice urges nations and manufacturers to widen availability, via strategies including licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the main component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in several nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Injections Operate
These medications mimick a body's own hormone to slow digestion, curb appetite and increase feelings of fullness so people eat less.
Patients typically start to lose weight after several weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Research points to users may put most of the weight back on within a year of stopping the drug, because their typical food cravings come back.
To be above a healthy weight raises your chance for experiencing diseases, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Obesity concerns people in countries worldwide and was associated with millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
