Less than a tenth of patients eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy are able to get them, warns the World Health Organization as it publishes its inaugural guidance on the therapies.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide currently living with obesity, it is advocating for increased and just access to GLP-1 medication.
Per projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The latest guidance acknowledges that obesity is a long-term condition that can be addressed with holistic and lifelong treatment," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are major obstacles to broad access to the treatments that can help people shift considerable weight, explains the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Even in the current most optimistic scenario, the supply of these medications might only reach about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, as stated by the WHO.
The guideline urges countries and companies to increase access, by measures including licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the primary component of a leading brand – is due to expire in multiple countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Work
These medications imitate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and enhance the sense of being full so individuals consume fewer calories.
Individuals commonly begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Research suggests patients may put most of the weight back on within a year of halting the medication, when their usual appetite return.
Being above a healthy weight raises your risk for experiencing medical conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight affects individuals in countries worldwide and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
