Fewer than one in 10 individuals that would benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy can access them, caution the WHO as it releases its first guidance on the therapies.
Considering more than one billion individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is advocating for broader and more equitable availability to GLP-1 medication.
Based on projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with holistic and ongoing care," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are key barriers to widespread access to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing substantial body mass, notes the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Despite the current most optimistic outlook, the production of these medications could only cover approximately 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, according to the WHO.
The recommendation encourages countries and companies to expand access, by approaches including patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the primary ingredient of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in a number of countries in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Operate
GLP-1 drugs imitate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and boost the sense of being full so individuals consume fewer calories.
Individuals typically see weight reduction within a few weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Research points to people may put most of the weight back on within a year of stopping the treatment, when their normal appetite return.
To be above a healthy weight increases your likelihood for developing diseases, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight impacts people in every country and was associated with over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
