Fewer than 10% of individuals eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy are able to get them, states the World Health Organization as it releases its inaugural advice on the drugs.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer availability to these injectable treatments.
Based on forecasts, more than two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The latest guidance affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be managed with comprehensive and lifelong treatment," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are significant obstacles to universal access to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing considerable weight, notes the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Despite the current most optimistic case, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies could only cover about 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, per the WHO.
The recommendation encourages governments and firms to expand availability, through strategies like patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the primary ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in several nations in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Operate
The injections mimick a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and boost the sense of being full so users consume fewer calories.
People typically begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Evidence indicates people may see weight return a year later of stopping the treatment, when their normal appetite resume.
To be overweight or obese raises your chance for experiencing diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Excess weight impacts people in all nations and was associated with 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.