Fewer than one in 10 people who could benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy have access to them, caution the World Health Organization as it issues its first advice on the drugs.
Given in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now living with obesity, it is advocating for increased and just access to GLP-1 medication.
According to projections, more than two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our latest guidance recognises that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with holistic and continuous care," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are major hurdles to broad availability to the injections that can assist patients in reducing substantial weight, notes the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Despite the present best projected scenario, the supply of such drugs might only reach around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the WHO.
The advice calls on governments and firms to increase availability, through strategies including voluntary licensing.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the core ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Injections Operate
The injections replicate a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and enhance satiety so people eat less.
People commonly begin shedding pounds after several weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence suggests users may see weight return a year later of halting the drug, as their usual hunger come back.
Being above a healthy weight increases your risk for developing health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Excess weight affects people in every country and was associated with 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
