Under one in 10 patients that would benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy are able to get them, caution the global health agency as it publishes its inaugural recommendations on the drugs.
Considering more than one billion individuals worldwide currently classified as obese, it is calling for increased and just access to these injectable treatments.
According to projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our latest guidelines affirms that obesity is a chronic disease that can be addressed with thorough and lifelong care," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are significant obstacles to universal access to the injections that can help people shift considerable weight, notes the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even in the current most favorable scenario, the supply of these medications would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, according to the WHO.
The guideline urges nations and manufacturers to increase availability, by approaches like licensing agreements.
A patent on the active ingredient – the core component of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in several countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Injections Function
GLP-1 drugs replicate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and boost satiety so people reduce food intake.
Individuals usually start to lose weight after several weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Research points to users may see weight return within a year of halting the treatment, because their usual hunger resume.
To be overweight or obese increases your likelihood for developing diseases, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific cancers.
Obesity impacts people in every country and was responsible for 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
