Less than 10% of individuals eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy have access to them, caution the global health agency as it publishes its initial guidance on the therapies.
Considering more than one billion individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer availability to GLP-1 medication.
Per forecasts, more than two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The new guidelines recognises that obesity is a chronic disease that can be addressed with thorough and ongoing support," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are major hurdles to widespread access to the injections that can aid individuals in losing considerable body mass, notes the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Even in the current most optimistic case, the supply of such drugs might only reach around 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, according to the health organization.
The recommendation urges nations and manufacturers to increase access, via approaches such as patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the core ingredient of a leading brand – is set to lapse in several nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Injections Function
The injections imitate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and enhance satiety so users consume fewer calories.
People commonly start to lose weight within a few weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Studies points to users may see weight return a year later of halting the medication, because their normal hunger return.
Being carrying excess weight increases your risk for developing diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight affects people in countries worldwide and was responsible for millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
