Less than a tenth of individuals eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy have access to them, states the World Health Organization as it releases its inaugural recommendations on the drugs.
With more than one billion people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable availability to GLP-1 medication.
Per projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidance affirms that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be managed with comprehensive and continuous treatment," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are major hurdles to universal availability to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing considerable body mass, explains the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even under the current best projected case, the production of these medications might only reach about 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the WHO.
The recommendation encourages governments and firms to expand access, by strategies including voluntary licensing.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the primary component of a leading brand – is set to lapse in several countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Injections Work
The injections imitate a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and enhance satiety so users eat less.
People commonly see weight reduction in the initial weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Evidence indicates people may put most of the weight back on after a year of discontinuing the treatment, because their usual appetite resume.
Being above a healthy weight raises your risk for experiencing health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight affects individuals in countries worldwide and was associated with millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
