Under 10% of people who could benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy are able to get them, warns the World Health Organization as it releases its first recommendations on the drugs.
Considering over a billion individuals worldwide now obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable availability to this class of drugs.
Based on estimates, over two billion could be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our latest guidance affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with holistic and continuous care," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are key obstacles to universal availability to the injections that can assist patients in reducing significant body mass, explains the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Despite the current most optimistic case, the supply of these medications could only cover about 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, per the health organization.
The advice calls on nations and manufacturers to widen availability, by measures like voluntary licensing.
A patent on a key compound – the main component of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in several nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Work
GLP-1 drugs imitate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and enhance feelings of fullness so users reduce food intake.
People commonly start to lose weight in the initial weeks of commencing the regular doses.
Studies indicates patients may see weight return a year later of halting the treatment, because their typical food cravings come back.
To be carrying excess weight increases your likelihood for contracting health problems, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Obesity concerns individuals in every country and was linked to millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
