Under one in 10 people eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy have access to them, warns the WHO as it publishes its inaugural recommendations on the therapies.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide currently obese, it is advocating for increased and just availability to this class of drugs.
Based on forecasts, over two billion will be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidance recognises that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be managed with thorough and ongoing care," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are major obstacles to broad access to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing considerable weight, notes the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Despite the current most favorable case, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies might only reach approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, according to the WHO.
The recommendation encourages countries and companies to increase availability, by strategies like patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the main component of a leading brand – is set to lapse in multiple countries in 2026.
How Obesity Drugs Operate
GLP-1 drugs imitate a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and increase satiety so people eat less.
Patients typically begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of commencing the regular doses.
Evidence points to people may put most of the weight back on a year later of halting the medication, because their usual appetite come back.
Being carrying excess weight elevates your risk for developing diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and some cancers.
Excess weight impacts individuals in all nations and was associated with 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
