Fewer than 10% of individuals that would benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy are able to get them, warns the World Health Organization as it publishes its initial recommendations on the medications.
With over a billion people worldwide now living with obesity, it is advocating for increased and just availability to these injectable treatments.
According to projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidance affirms that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be treated with thorough and continuous treatment," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are significant hurdles to widespread availability to the jabs that can help people shift considerable weight, explains the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even in the current best projected case, the production of such drugs would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, per the health organization.
The advice calls on countries and companies to increase availability, via approaches like patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the main ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in several countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Work
GLP-1 drugs mimick a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and increase feelings of fullness so individuals reduce food intake.
People typically see weight reduction after several weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Research points to patients may regain a significant portion a year later of discontinuing the drug, when their normal hunger come back.
To be overweight or obese raises your risk for contracting diseases, like diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight affects people in countries worldwide and was linked to 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
