Under 10% of patients that would benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy can access them, caution the World Health Organization as it issues its initial recommendations on the medications.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide now obese, it is advocating for increased and just availability to this class of drugs.
Per projections, more than two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidelines acknowledges that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be treated with holistic and lifelong support," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are key barriers to widespread access to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing significant weight, explains the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even under the current best projected scenario, the production of GLP-1 therapies could only cover approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, as stated by the health organization.
The advice urges governments and firms to widen availability, through approaches such as patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the main ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Operate
The injections imitate a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and boost satiety so users eat less.
People typically begin shedding pounds after several weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Evidence indicates patients may see weight return after a year of discontinuing the drug, because their typical food cravings resume.
Being above a healthy weight raises your chance for contracting diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight affects people in countries worldwide and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
