Under one in 10 patients who could benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy have access to them, caution the World Health Organization as it releases its first guidance on the therapies.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide now classified as obese, it is urging increased and just access to these injectable treatments.
Per estimates, over two billion could be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our new guidance affirms that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be treated with thorough and continuous treatment," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are significant hurdles to broad availability to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing significant weight, says the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Even in the current most favorable case, the manufacturing of these medications would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, per the WHO.
The recommendation calls on governments and firms to expand access, via measures including licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the main ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in a number of countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Operate
The injections imitate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and enhance feelings of fullness so individuals eat less.
People commonly start to lose weight after several weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Research suggests patients may see weight return within a year of stopping the medication, as their usual food cravings come back.
Being carrying excess weight increases your chance for contracting health problems, including diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Obesity concerns people in every country and was responsible for millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
