Less than a tenth of individuals who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy are able to get them, caution the World Health Organization as it publishes its inaugural advice on the drugs.
With more than one billion individuals worldwide currently classified as obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable availability to these injectable treatments.
According to forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidelines affirms that obesity is a long-term condition that can be managed with holistic and lifelong support," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are major hurdles to broad access to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing substantial body mass, says the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Despite the present best projected scenario, the production of GLP-1 therapies might only reach around 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, per the health organization.
The advice urges governments and firms to increase access, by strategies like voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the core ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple countries in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Work
The injections imitate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and enhance the sense of being full so individuals eat less.
Patients usually begin shedding pounds after several weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence points to patients may see weight return after a year of discontinuing the treatment, as their usual food cravings resume.
Being carrying excess weight increases your likelihood for experiencing medical conditions, including diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Obesity impacts people in all nations and was responsible for 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
