Fewer than 10% of individuals who could benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy are able to get them, caution the World Health Organization as it releases its first guidance on the medications.
Considering more than one billion people worldwide now living with obesity, it is calling for more widespread and fairer availability to this class of drugs.
Based on forecasts, over two billion will be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The new guidelines affirms that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be managed with thorough and continuous care," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are significant obstacles to widespread access to the injections that can assist patients in reducing substantial weight, notes the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Even in the current most optimistic scenario, the production of GLP-1 therapies could only cover about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, according to the WHO.
The advice calls on nations and manufacturers to widen availability, by strategies including patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the core component of a leading brand – is set to lapse in several nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Operate
These medications imitate a natural hormone to slow digestion, curb appetite and increase feelings of fullness so individuals consume fewer calories.
Patients commonly begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Research indicates users may put most of the weight back on within a year of stopping the medication, because their usual food cravings return.
Being above a healthy weight raises your risk for contracting diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and certain cancers.
Obesity concerns individuals in all nations and was linked to millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
