Under 10% of patients that would benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy are able to get them, warns the WHO as it issues its inaugural advice on the medications.
Considering over a billion individuals worldwide currently classified as obese, it is urging increased and just access to GLP-1 medication.
Based on forecasts, over two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The new guidance affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be addressed with comprehensive and continuous support," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are significant hurdles to broad access to the treatments that can help people shift significant weight, notes the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even in the present most favorable scenario, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for around 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, per the WHO.
The guideline urges countries and companies to increase access, via strategies like patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the main ingredient of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in a number of nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Work
The injections imitate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and enhance the sense of being full so individuals reduce food intake.
Individuals typically begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Studies points to users may regain a significant portion a year later of discontinuing the treatment, because their normal hunger resume.
Being overweight or obese increases your chance for experiencing health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and some cancers.
Excess weight concerns individuals in all nations and was responsible for millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
