Less than one in 10 patients who could benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy are able to get them, caution the global health agency as it issues its initial guidance on the medications.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is urging broader and more equitable availability to this class of drugs.
Per projections, over two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidelines recognises that obesity is a long-term condition that can be addressed with comprehensive and lifelong treatment," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are significant hurdles to universal availability to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing substantial weight, notes the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Even under the present most favorable case, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies could only cover approximately 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the health organization.
The advice calls on governments and firms to increase access, through approaches including licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the core ingredient of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in multiple countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Operate
The injections imitate a natural hormone to slow digestion, curb appetite and enhance feelings of fullness so individuals reduce food intake.
Individuals commonly see weight reduction after several weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Research suggests patients may put most of the weight back on within a year of stopping the medication, because their usual appetite return.
To be above a healthy weight increases your risk for contracting medical conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Obesity impacts people in every country and was associated with over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
