Fewer than one in 10 patients that would benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy are able to get them, states the World Health Organization as it publishes its inaugural advice on the medications.
Given more than one billion people worldwide now living with obesity, it is advocating for broader and more equitable availability to these injectable treatments.
Per projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidance affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be managed with holistic and ongoing care," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are key hurdles to widespread access to the injections that can assist patients in reducing considerable weight, explains the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even under the present best projected outlook, the supply of these medications might only reach around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, as stated by the health organization.
The guideline calls on countries and companies to widen availability, via strategies including voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the main component of a leading brand – is set to lapse in multiple countries in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Operate
GLP-1 drugs imitate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and enhance satiety so individuals reduce food intake.
People usually begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Research suggests users may regain a significant portion a year later of discontinuing the medication, when their normal appetite resume.
Being overweight or obese increases your likelihood for experiencing medical conditions, like diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight concerns individuals in every country and was associated with 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
