Fewer than 10% of people who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy have access to them, caution the World Health Organization as it releases its first guidance on the therapies.
Considering more than one billion people worldwide now obese, it is urging increased and just access to these injectable treatments.
According to forecasts, over two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidelines recognises that obesity is a chronic disease that can be addressed with comprehensive and lifelong treatment," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are major hurdles to broad access to the jabs that can help people shift considerable body mass, notes the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Even under the present most optimistic scenario, the manufacturing of such drugs might only reach around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the health organization.
The recommendation urges nations and manufacturers to expand access, by measures like licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the primary component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in multiple nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Injections Work
The injections mimick a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and boost the sense of being full so people consume fewer calories.
People commonly start to lose weight in the initial weeks of commencing the regular doses.
Research suggests people may regain a significant portion after a year of discontinuing the drug, because their usual hunger return.
To be above a healthy weight raises your risk for contracting diseases, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some cancers.
Obesity concerns people in countries worldwide and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
