Under one in 10 individuals who could benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy can access them, states the WHO as it issues its inaugural guidance on the therapies.
With more than one billion individuals worldwide now obese, it is urging broader and more equitable availability to these injectable treatments.
According to estimates, over two billion will be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidelines recognises that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with holistic and lifelong support," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are major barriers to universal availability to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing substantial body mass, says the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Despite the present most favorable case, the production of GLP-1 therapies could only cover about 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, according to the health organization.
The guideline encourages nations and manufacturers to widen access, via strategies including patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the primary ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Work
These medications imitate a natural hormone to slow digestion, curb appetite and enhance the sense of being full so users reduce food intake.
Patients usually start to lose weight in the initial weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Studies points to users may put most of the weight back on after a year of discontinuing the medication, as their usual appetite return.
To be carrying excess weight raises your likelihood for developing medical conditions, including diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Obesity affects people in countries worldwide and was responsible for over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
