Fewer than one in 10 individuals eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy have access to them, warns the World Health Organization as it publishes its first recommendations on the therapies.
Given over a billion people worldwide now classified as obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable availability to GLP-1 medication.
Based on estimates, more than two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The new guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with comprehensive and continuous treatment," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are major obstacles to universal access to the injections that can help people shift considerable body mass, explains the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Even under the current best projected outlook, the production of such drugs would only suffice for around 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, according to the WHO.
The recommendation calls on governments and firms to widen availability, by approaches including licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the core component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Injections Work
The injections imitate a body's own hormone to slow digestion, reduce hunger and boost satiety so people reduce food intake.
Patients usually see weight reduction after several weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Research suggests users may put most of the weight back on within a year of halting the drug, when their normal hunger resume.
Being overweight or obese raises your chance for experiencing medical conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight impacts individuals in every country and was linked to millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
