Under a tenth of people that would benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy have access to them, caution the global health agency as it releases its initial guidance on the medications.
Considering more than one billion people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer access to this class of drugs.
Based on estimates, more than two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidelines acknowledges that obesity is a long-term condition that can be addressed with thorough and lifelong treatment," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are major hurdles to widespread availability to the injections that can aid individuals in losing considerable weight, notes the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Even under the present best projected case, the supply of GLP-1 therapies could only cover around 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the health organization.
The guideline urges governments and firms to widen access, through measures like licensing agreements.
A patent on the active ingredient – the main ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in several nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Injections Operate
GLP-1 drugs mimick a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and boost the sense of being full so users eat less.
Individuals typically start to lose weight within a few weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Evidence indicates people may see weight return after a year of halting the medication, because their normal appetite return.
Being overweight or obese raises your likelihood for contracting medical conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain cancers.
Obesity impacts people in every country and was associated with millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
