Under 10% of people eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy are able to get them, states the World Health Organization as it publishes its inaugural recommendations on the therapies.
Given more than one billion individuals worldwide currently living with obesity, it is calling for more widespread and fairer availability to GLP-1 medication.
According to estimates, more than two billion could be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidelines affirms that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be managed with thorough and lifelong care," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are major barriers to broad access to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing significant body mass, explains the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Even in the present most favorable case, the supply of these medications could only cover around 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, per the WHO.
The advice calls on nations and manufacturers to expand access, via strategies like patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the core ingredient of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in multiple countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Function
These medications mimick a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and enhance satiety so individuals reduce food intake.
Individuals usually start to lose weight in the initial weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Studies points to people may put most of the weight back on after a year of stopping the drug, because their usual food cravings resume.
To be above a healthy weight raises your likelihood for experiencing medical conditions, including diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Obesity affects individuals in all nations and was associated with millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
