Fewer than one in 10 patients eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy have access to them, caution the WHO as it issues its inaugural recommendations on the drugs.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is urging increased and just availability to this class of drugs.
According to projections, over two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our latest guidelines acknowledges that obesity is a long-term condition that can be treated with comprehensive and lifelong care," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are major hurdles to broad access to the injections that can help people shift considerable weight, says the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Despite the current most optimistic case, the supply of such drugs could only cover around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, per the health organization.
The advice calls on nations and manufacturers to expand access, by strategies such as patent sharing.
A patent on semaglutide – the primary ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in several countries in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Operate
These medications mimick a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and boost satiety so users eat less.
Patients usually start to lose weight after several weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence indicates patients may see weight return after a year of halting the treatment, when their usual appetite come back.
To be above a healthy weight raises your chance for experiencing diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and specific cancers.
Excess weight impacts people in every country and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
