Less than one in 10 patients eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy have access to them, caution the World Health Organization as it issues its initial advice on the medications.
Given over a billion individuals worldwide currently classified as obese, it is advocating for increased and just access to these injectable treatments.
According to forecasts, over two billion could be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidelines recognises that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be addressed with thorough and continuous treatment," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are significant hurdles to widespread availability to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing significant weight, explains the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even in the present most favorable outlook, the production of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for around 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, as stated by the WHO.
The guideline encourages nations and manufacturers to increase access, via approaches such as voluntary licensing.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the main component of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in a number of countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Function
GLP-1 drugs mimick a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and increase feelings of fullness so users reduce food intake.
Individuals usually see weight reduction in the initial weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Studies suggests people may put most of the weight back on after a year of stopping the drug, as their usual hunger resume.
Being carrying excess weight increases your likelihood for developing health problems, like diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Obesity concerns individuals in all nations and was linked to millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
