Fewer than 10% of patients that would benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy are able to get them, warns the World Health Organization as it issues its first recommendations on the therapies.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer availability to this class of drugs.
According to estimates, over two billion will be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidelines affirms that obesity is a chronic disease that can be managed with holistic and continuous care," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are major barriers to widespread availability to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing substantial body mass, notes the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Despite the current most optimistic case, the manufacturing of these medications could only cover approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, per the health organization.
The recommendation encourages countries and companies to increase availability, via measures such as licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the main component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Operate
GLP-1 drugs mimick a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and boost the sense of being full so users consume fewer calories.
Individuals typically start to lose weight after several weeks of commencing the regular doses.
Studies points to users may put most of the weight back on within a year of stopping the medication, as their typical food cravings resume.
Being above a healthy weight raises your chance for developing health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some malignancies.
Obesity impacts individuals in all nations and was linked to millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
