Under one in 10 individuals who could benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy are able to get them, states the global health agency as it issues its first recommendations on the medications.
With more than one billion people worldwide now obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer availability to GLP-1 medication.
According to estimates, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidelines affirms that obesity is a long-term condition that can be treated with comprehensive and lifelong care," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are major hurdles to broad availability to the injections that can assist patients in reducing considerable body mass, explains the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even under the present most favorable case, the manufacturing of such drugs might only reach around 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, according to the WHO.
The guideline calls on governments and firms to widen availability, by measures including licensing agreements.
A patent on the active ingredient – the core ingredient of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in multiple countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Function
GLP-1 drugs replicate a body's own hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and increase feelings of fullness so individuals reduce food intake.
Individuals typically begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of commencing the regular doses.
Research suggests users may put most of the weight back on within a year of stopping the drug, as their typical food cravings return.
To be overweight or obese elevates your chance for experiencing medical conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some cancers.
Excess weight concerns individuals in every country and was associated with millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
