Fewer than one in 10 patients who could benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy can access them, caution the World Health Organization as it publishes its first guidance on the therapies.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable availability to GLP-1 medication.
Per projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The new guidelines recognises that obesity is a long-term condition that can be treated with comprehensive and lifelong treatment," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are major obstacles to broad access to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing considerable body mass, says the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Despite the present most favorable outlook, the production of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, as stated by the WHO.
The advice calls on governments and firms to increase availability, through strategies like patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the core component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in several nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Function
GLP-1 drugs replicate a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and enhance satiety so people consume fewer calories.
Individuals typically begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Research indicates users may regain a significant portion a year later of stopping the drug, because their usual hunger come back.
Being above a healthy weight raises your likelihood for contracting diseases, like diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain cancers.
Excess weight impacts people in every country and was associated with 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
