Under a tenth of individuals that would benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy have access to them, states the World Health Organization as it publishes its first guidance on the medications.
Considering over a billion individuals worldwide currently living with obesity, it is calling for increased and just availability to these injectable treatments.
Per forecasts, more than two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidelines recognises that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with comprehensive and lifelong care," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are significant hurdles to universal access to the treatments that can help people shift considerable body mass, notes the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even under the present most favorable outlook, the production of these medications would only suffice for about 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, according to the WHO.
The recommendation urges governments and firms to expand access, via measures including voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the core ingredient of a leading brand – is set to lapse in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Injections Work
GLP-1 drugs imitate a body's own hormone to slow digestion, reduce hunger and enhance the sense of being full so users consume fewer calories.
Patients usually begin shedding pounds after several weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Research points to patients may put most of the weight back on after a year of discontinuing the medication, because their usual hunger return.
Being above a healthy weight raises your risk for contracting medical conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some cancers.
Excess weight concerns people in all nations and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
