Fewer than 10% of individuals that would benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy can access them, caution the WHO as it issues its inaugural advice on the drugs.
With more than one billion individuals worldwide now classified as obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer availability to GLP-1 medication.
Per estimates, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidance acknowledges that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be managed with thorough and lifelong treatment," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are key obstacles to universal availability to the injections that can help people shift substantial body mass, notes the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even in the current best projected scenario, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies might only reach about 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, per the health organization.
The advice encourages governments and firms to increase availability, through measures such as voluntary licensing.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the core component of a leading brand – is set to lapse in multiple nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Injections Operate
The injections mimick a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and enhance feelings of fullness so individuals consume fewer calories.
People usually begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Studies suggests patients may see weight return within a year of halting the treatment, as their normal food cravings return.
To be overweight or obese increases your likelihood for contracting health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight concerns individuals in all nations and was linked to 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
