Fewer than 10% of people that would benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy are able to get them, caution the World Health Organization as it publishes its first recommendations on the therapies.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable access to this class of drugs.
Based on projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidance recognises that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be treated with holistic and lifelong care," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are key obstacles to widespread access to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing significant weight, says the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Even in the current most favorable outlook, the supply of these medications could only cover around 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, per the WHO.
The recommendation encourages governments and firms to expand availability, through strategies like licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the core ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Function
The injections imitate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and enhance satiety so users eat less.
People commonly see weight reduction within a few weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Research indicates patients may regain a significant portion after a year of stopping the drug, when their usual appetite resume.
Being above a healthy weight elevates your chance for developing health problems, such as diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight concerns individuals in countries worldwide and was responsible for 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
