Fewer than 10% of people who could benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy can access them, caution the global health agency as it releases its initial recommendations on the therapies.
Given over a billion individuals worldwide now classified as obese, it is urging increased and just availability to GLP-1 medication.
Per projections, over two billion could be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our new guidelines acknowledges that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with comprehensive and continuous treatment," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are significant hurdles to broad access to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing significant body mass, says the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even under the present best projected case, the supply of such drugs could only cover approximately 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, as stated by the health organization.
The advice encourages governments and firms to increase availability, via measures such as licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the core component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in several nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Function
These medications replicate a natural hormone to slow digestion, reduce hunger and increase the sense of being full so people consume fewer calories.
Patients commonly see weight reduction after several weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Studies suggests people may see weight return within a year of stopping the drug, when their usual appetite resume.
Being overweight or obese elevates your risk for developing medical conditions, like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and some malignancies.
Excess weight concerns people in every country and was linked to millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
