Under a tenth of individuals who could benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy are able to get them, caution the global health agency as it issues its inaugural advice on the therapies.
Given more than one billion individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer access to these injectable treatments.
Based on forecasts, more than two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The latest guidelines recognises that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be addressed with holistic and ongoing care," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are significant hurdles to broad access to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing substantial weight, explains the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Even in the current best projected outlook, the supply of GLP-1 therapies might only reach approximately 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, per the WHO.
The advice encourages countries and companies to increase access, via measures including voluntary licensing.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the core component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in several countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Injections Work
The injections mimick a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and increase the sense of being full so individuals consume fewer calories.
Individuals commonly begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Research indicates patients may see weight return a year later of stopping the medication, because their normal hunger return.
To be overweight or obese elevates your likelihood for contracting health problems, including diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Obesity affects people in every country and was responsible for over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
