Less than 10% of patients who could benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy can access them, warns the WHO as it issues its first guidance on the medications.
Given more than one billion people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is advocating for broader and more equitable availability to GLP-1 medication.
Per estimates, more than two billion could be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be addressed with holistic and lifelong support," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are key barriers to widespread access to the injections that can aid individuals in losing considerable body mass, explains the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Despite the present most favorable outlook, the production of GLP-1 therapies might only reach approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, per the WHO.
The advice calls on countries and companies to increase access, through measures including patent sharing.
A patent on semaglutide – the primary component of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple countries in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Operate
These medications mimick a body's own hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and boost the sense of being full so users consume fewer calories.
Individuals usually begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Studies indicates users may regain a significant portion after a year of discontinuing the treatment, as their typical food cravings come back.
To be above a healthy weight raises your chance for contracting diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight impacts people in every country and was associated with 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
