Fewer than one in 10 people who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy can access them, states the WHO as it releases its initial guidance on the medications.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now living with obesity, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer access to these injectable treatments.
Per projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The latest guidance acknowledges that obesity is a long-term condition that can be addressed with comprehensive and continuous care," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are key obstacles to universal access to the injections that can aid individuals in losing considerable body mass, notes the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Despite the current most optimistic case, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies might only reach around 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, according to the health organization.
The advice urges nations and manufacturers to widen access, by measures such as patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the core component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in several countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Injections Operate
These medications replicate a biological compound to slow digestion, reduce hunger and enhance the sense of being full so users reduce food intake.
Individuals usually start to lose weight after several weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Research points to people may regain a significant portion within a year of halting the treatment, because their typical hunger come back.
Being overweight or obese raises your likelihood for developing health problems, like diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and certain cancers.
Obesity concerns people in all nations and was linked to millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
