Less than one in 10 individuals eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy are able to get them, caution the global health agency as it issues its initial recommendations on the medications.
Given in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide currently obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer access to GLP-1 medication.
Per forecasts, more than two billion will be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidelines recognises that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be treated with holistic and continuous care," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are significant hurdles to broad availability to the injections that can aid individuals in losing considerable body mass, says the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Despite the present most favorable scenario, the supply of these medications might only reach about 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, according to the WHO.
The recommendation calls on countries and companies to expand availability, through approaches such as patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the primary component of a leading brand – is due to expire in a number of nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Function
These medications mimick a body's own hormone to slow digestion, curb appetite and enhance feelings of fullness so people reduce food intake.
Individuals usually start to lose weight after several weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Evidence points to users may see weight return within a year of discontinuing the drug, because their typical food cravings resume.
To be carrying excess weight raises your likelihood for developing health problems, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight affects individuals in every country and was associated with millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
