Less than one in 10 individuals who could benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy can access them, states the global health agency as it publishes its inaugural guidance on the drugs.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is urging increased and just access to these injectable treatments.
According to estimates, over two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our new guidance affirms that obesity is a long-term condition that can be treated with thorough and continuous treatment," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are significant barriers to widespread availability to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing significant weight, notes the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Even in the current best projected scenario, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies might only reach about 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, per the WHO.
The guideline urges governments and firms to widen availability, through strategies including patent sharing.
A patent on semaglutide – the core component of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple nations in 2026.
How Obesity Drugs Work
The injections imitate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and enhance the sense of being full so people consume fewer calories.
People commonly see weight reduction after several weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Studies suggests patients may see weight return a year later of halting the treatment, as their normal hunger come back.
Being carrying excess weight elevates your risk for experiencing diseases, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers.
Obesity affects individuals in all nations and was responsible for over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
