Under one in 10 individuals who could benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy can access them, caution the World Health Organization as it releases its inaugural recommendations on the drugs.
With over a billion people worldwide now obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer availability to GLP-1 medication.
According to projections, more than two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidance recognises that obesity is a chronic disease that can be addressed with comprehensive and continuous support," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are major hurdles to universal availability to the treatments that can help people shift significant weight, says the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Despite the current most favorable scenario, the supply of GLP-1 therapies could only cover about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, per the health organization.
The recommendation calls on governments and firms to increase availability, by strategies including patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the core component of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in a number of nations in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Function
GLP-1 drugs imitate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and boost feelings of fullness so people eat less.
Individuals usually begin shedding pounds after several weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence points to users may see weight return after a year of discontinuing the medication, because their usual appetite come back.
To be above a healthy weight increases your risk for developing health problems, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Excess weight impacts individuals in all nations and was linked to millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
