Less than one in 10 patients eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy have access to them, warns the global health agency as it releases its first guidance on the drugs.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide currently living with obesity, it is calling for broader and more equitable access to GLP-1 medication.
Based on projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be addressed with thorough and lifelong treatment," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are significant obstacles to widespread availability to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing considerable weight, explains the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even under the present most optimistic scenario, the manufacturing of these medications might only reach around 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, per the WHO.
The recommendation urges nations and manufacturers to increase access, by measures such as voluntary licensing.
A patent on a key compound – the core component of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in multiple nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Injections Operate
GLP-1 drugs mimick a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and enhance the sense of being full so users reduce food intake.
Patients commonly start to lose weight within a few weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Studies suggests users may put most of the weight back on within a year of halting the treatment, as their usual appetite come back.
Being overweight or obese increases your likelihood for experiencing medical conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Obesity affects people in all nations and was responsible for millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
