Under one in 10 individuals who could benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy can access them, warns the WHO as it publishes its inaugural guidance on the therapies.
Given in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide currently obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer access to these injectable treatments.
Per projections, over two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our latest guidance affirms that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be treated with thorough and lifelong support," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are major hurdles to universal availability to the injections that can help people shift considerable body mass, explains the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Even in the present most optimistic case, the supply of GLP-1 therapies could only cover about 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, as stated by the health organization.
The recommendation calls on countries and companies to widen access, through approaches including voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the primary component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Drugs Function
The injections mimick a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and increase feelings of fullness so individuals reduce food intake.
People commonly begin shedding pounds after several weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Studies points to users may regain a significant portion within a year of halting the treatment, when their typical appetite resume.
To be overweight or obese elevates your likelihood for experiencing diseases, like diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Obesity concerns people in countries worldwide and was responsible for over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
