Less than 10% of individuals who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy can access them, states the global health agency as it releases its initial guidance on the medications.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now living with obesity, it is urging broader and more equitable access to these injectable treatments.
Per estimates, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The latest guidelines recognises that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with thorough and continuous support," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are significant hurdles to broad availability to the injections that can aid individuals in losing considerable weight, says the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even under the current most optimistic scenario, the production of these medications would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, as stated by the WHO.
The guideline encourages countries and companies to increase availability, via approaches including patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the primary ingredient of a leading brand – is set to lapse in multiple nations in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Operate
The injections imitate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and boost the sense of being full so individuals reduce food intake.
Individuals commonly begin shedding pounds after several weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Studies points to users may see weight return a year later of halting the medication, when their usual appetite resume.
Being carrying excess weight raises your likelihood for contracting health problems, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some cancers.
Excess weight affects people in every country and was responsible for millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
