Fewer than 10% of individuals that would benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy can access them, states the World Health Organization as it releases its inaugural guidance on the therapies.
Given in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable availability to GLP-1 medication.
Based on projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidance acknowledges that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be treated with thorough and lifelong support," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are major obstacles to widespread availability to the injections that can help people shift considerable weight, says the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even in the current most optimistic case, the manufacturing of these medications might only reach about 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, according to the WHO.
The guideline calls on governments and firms to expand availability, via approaches like licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the primary component of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Function
The injections replicate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and boost the sense of being full so users reduce food intake.
Patients usually see weight reduction in the initial weeks of commencing the regular doses.
Evidence suggests patients may see weight return after a year of stopping the medication, because their usual appetite resume.
To be carrying excess weight elevates your risk for contracting health problems, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain cancers.
Obesity impacts people in every country and was responsible for over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
