Less than a tenth of individuals who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy have access to them, states the World Health Organization as it issues its first recommendations on the therapies.
With more than one billion people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is urging increased and just access to these injectable treatments.
Per estimates, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The new guidelines affirms that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with holistic and continuous care," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are key hurdles to broad availability to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing substantial weight, notes the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Even in the present most optimistic case, the manufacturing of such drugs would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, per the health organization.
The guideline urges countries and companies to increase access, by approaches like licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the core component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple nations in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Work
The injections imitate a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and increase satiety so individuals eat less.
Patients usually begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Research suggests patients may regain a significant portion within a year of stopping the drug, when their typical appetite come back.
Being carrying excess weight elevates your likelihood for experiencing diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain cancers.
Excess weight impacts people in countries worldwide and was linked to millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
