Under a tenth of individuals who could benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy are able to get them, states the WHO as it issues its first guidance on the medications.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide currently living with obesity, it is advocating for broader and more equitable availability to GLP-1 medication.
Based on projections, more than two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The latest guidelines recognises that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be treated with holistic and lifelong support," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are key barriers to broad availability to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing substantial body mass, notes the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Even in the current most optimistic scenario, the production of GLP-1 therapies could only cover about 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the health organization.
The advice calls on nations and manufacturers to increase availability, by strategies like patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the main ingredient of a leading brand – is set to lapse in multiple countries in 2026.
How Obesity Drugs Function
GLP-1 drugs replicate a body's own hormone to slow digestion, reduce hunger and boost feelings of fullness so individuals consume fewer calories.
People usually see weight reduction in the initial weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Studies suggests people may put most of the weight back on a year later of stopping the treatment, when their usual appetite return.
Being above a healthy weight raises your likelihood for developing health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain cancers.
Obesity affects individuals in every country and was linked to 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
