Less than a tenth of people eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy can access them, caution the World Health Organization as it releases its first guidance on the medications.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable availability to these injectable treatments.
According to projections, more than two billion will be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our new guidance acknowledges that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be managed with comprehensive and lifelong treatment," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are major obstacles to universal availability to the jabs that can help people shift substantial weight, says the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even in the current best projected case, the supply of these medications would only suffice for about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, per the WHO.
The advice urges governments and firms to expand access, via strategies like patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the primary component of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in several countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Injections Operate
GLP-1 drugs replicate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and increase the sense of being full so individuals consume fewer calories.
Individuals usually start to lose weight within a few weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence suggests people may see weight return within a year of halting the medication, because their usual appetite come back.
To be overweight or obese increases your likelihood for developing diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight affects individuals in every country and was associated with 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
