Less than a tenth of people who could benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy are able to get them, caution the global health agency as it releases its inaugural guidance on the therapies.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now classified as obese, it is calling for increased and just availability to GLP-1 medication.
Per estimates, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The latest guidelines recognises that obesity is a long-term condition that can be addressed with holistic and continuous treatment," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are major obstacles to widespread access to the injections that can help people shift significant body mass, explains the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Even under the current most favorable scenario, the manufacturing of these medications could only cover approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the WHO.
The advice urges countries and companies to expand access, via strategies such as licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the main component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Operate
These medications mimick a body's own hormone to slow digestion, reduce hunger and increase feelings of fullness so people consume fewer calories.
Individuals usually begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Evidence points to patients may see weight return within a year of stopping the drug, when their normal food cravings come back.
To be carrying excess weight elevates your risk for experiencing diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some cancers.
Obesity concerns people in every country and was responsible for 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
