Under 10% of individuals eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy can access them, caution the World Health Organization as it publishes its first advice on the drugs.
Given in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is advocating for increased and just availability to GLP-1 medication.
Per forecasts, over two billion will be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidelines recognises that obesity is a chronic disease that can be addressed with comprehensive and lifelong care," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are key obstacles to broad access to the injections that can aid individuals in losing substantial weight, explains the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Despite the current most favorable outlook, the production of such drugs could only cover about 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, per the health organization.
The advice encourages nations and manufacturers to expand access, through measures such as licensing agreements.
A patent on a key compound – the core ingredient of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in several nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Injections Function
GLP-1 drugs replicate a body's own hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and boost satiety so people consume fewer calories.
Individuals typically start to lose weight in the initial weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Research indicates users may put most of the weight back on a year later of halting the treatment, as their usual food cravings resume.
Being carrying excess weight raises your risk for developing medical conditions, including diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and some malignancies.
Excess weight impacts people in countries worldwide and was responsible for 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
