Less than one in 10 patients who could benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy can access them, warns the WHO as it releases its inaugural advice on the medications.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide now obese, it is urging broader and more equitable access to GLP-1 medication.
Based on projections, more than two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidelines affirms that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with comprehensive and lifelong support," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are significant hurdles to broad availability to the jabs that can help people shift substantial body mass, says the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Despite the present most optimistic case, the manufacturing of these medications would only suffice for about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, according to the WHO.
The guideline calls on nations and manufacturers to widen access, through measures like licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the main component of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in multiple countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Function
These medications mimick a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and increase satiety so individuals consume fewer calories.
Patients usually see weight reduction after several weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence indicates users may regain a significant portion within a year of discontinuing the medication, when their usual hunger return.
Being above a healthy weight increases your chance for experiencing health problems, like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and certain cancers.
Excess weight concerns individuals in every country and was responsible for over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
