Under a tenth of people eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy have access to them, caution the WHO as it issues its initial recommendations on the medications.
Considering over a billion people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer access to GLP-1 medication.
Based on forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The new guidelines affirms that obesity is a long-term condition that can be addressed with holistic and lifelong treatment," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are major barriers to widespread access to the injections that can help people shift substantial weight, notes the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even in the present most favorable outlook, the production of GLP-1 therapies could only cover around 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the WHO.
The guideline encourages governments and firms to expand access, via approaches like licensing agreements.
A patent on semaglutide – the core ingredient of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in a number of nations in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Function
These medications mimick a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and increase the sense of being full so people reduce food intake.
Individuals commonly start to lose weight in the initial weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence suggests users may see weight return a year later of stopping the drug, as their usual food cravings resume.
To be overweight or obese increases your risk for experiencing medical conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain cancers.
Obesity impacts individuals in all nations and was associated with 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
