Under 10% of individuals that would benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy can access them, states the global health agency as it publishes its initial recommendations on the therapies.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is calling for increased and just availability to these injectable treatments.
Per forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidance affirms that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with comprehensive and continuous care," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are key obstacles to widespread availability to the injections that can aid individuals in losing considerable weight, notes the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even under the current best projected case, the manufacturing of such drugs might only reach around 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the WHO.
The guideline encourages countries and companies to increase access, via strategies such as licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the core ingredient of a leading brand – is set to lapse in several nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Injections Work
These medications replicate a body's own hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and boost the sense of being full so individuals eat less.
Patients commonly start to lose weight within a few weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Evidence points to people may put most of the weight back on a year later of halting the treatment, because their typical appetite resume.
To be overweight or obese increases your risk for developing medical conditions, including diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Obesity concerns individuals in every country and was associated with millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
