Less than one in 10 individuals who could benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy are able to get them, caution the World Health Organization as it releases its inaugural guidance on the medications.
With over a billion people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is calling for broader and more equitable availability to this class of drugs.
Per forecasts, more than two billion will be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidelines acknowledges that obesity is a long-term condition that can be treated with comprehensive and ongoing care," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are key barriers to broad availability to the treatments that can help people shift significant weight, says the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Even in the present best projected case, the production of such drugs could only cover around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, per the WHO.
The advice calls on governments and firms to expand availability, via approaches including licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the core component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in several nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Operate
The injections mimick a natural hormone to slow digestion, reduce hunger and enhance satiety so people consume fewer calories.
Individuals usually see weight reduction in the initial weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Studies suggests people may put most of the weight back on after a year of discontinuing the drug, because their typical appetite come back.
To be above a healthy weight increases your chance for experiencing health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers.
Obesity impacts people in all nations and was associated with 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
