Under 10% of people who could benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy can access them, caution the WHO as it issues its inaugural guidance on the therapies.
Considering more than one billion individuals worldwide now classified as obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer access to this class of drugs.
According to estimates, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidelines recognises that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be addressed with holistic and continuous treatment," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are key obstacles to widespread availability to the injections that can aid individuals in losing considerable weight, says the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even under the current best projected outlook, the supply of these medications might only reach around 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, per the health organization.
The advice urges nations and manufacturers to increase access, through strategies such as voluntary licensing.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the core component of a leading brand – is due to expire in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Operate
GLP-1 drugs replicate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and enhance satiety so people eat less.
People commonly start to lose weight within a few weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Studies indicates users may see weight return a year later of stopping the treatment, when their usual appetite come back.
To be carrying excess weight elevates your risk for contracting health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight concerns individuals in countries worldwide and was associated with 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
