Less than a tenth of individuals that would benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy are able to get them, states the World Health Organization as it releases its initial recommendations on the medications.
Considering more than one billion individuals worldwide now classified as obese, it is urging broader and more equitable access to these injectable treatments.
According to forecasts, more than two billion could be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidelines affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with thorough and ongoing support," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are significant barriers to broad availability to the injections that can help people shift considerable weight, notes the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Even in the present best projected scenario, the manufacturing of these medications might only reach about 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, per the WHO.
The advice urges nations and manufacturers to widen availability, through measures like patent sharing.
A patent on the active ingredient – the main ingredient of a leading brand – is due to expire in multiple countries in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Operate
GLP-1 drugs imitate a biological compound to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and increase satiety so people consume fewer calories.
Individuals usually begin shedding pounds after several weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Research points to patients may see weight return within a year of stopping the medication, as their normal food cravings return.
To be above a healthy weight elevates your likelihood for experiencing diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Excess weight affects people in countries worldwide and was responsible for millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
