Less than 10% of people eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy have access to them, warns the World Health Organization as it releases its inaugural recommendations on the medications.
Given over a billion individuals worldwide now obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer access to GLP-1 medication.
Based on estimates, over two billion will be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidance acknowledges that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with holistic and lifelong care," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are key obstacles to widespread availability to the injections that can aid individuals in losing significant weight, explains the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even under the present most favorable outlook, the manufacturing of these medications might only reach about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, according to the WHO.
The guideline encourages governments and firms to expand availability, via measures such as voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the primary component of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in several countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Operate
The injections imitate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and boost the sense of being full so users consume fewer calories.
Patients typically see weight reduction in the initial weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Research indicates people may regain a significant portion within a year of stopping the treatment, as their normal hunger come back.
To be overweight or obese elevates your risk for developing medical conditions, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some malignancies.
Excess weight impacts individuals in every country and was associated with over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
