Fewer than 10% of patients who could benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy are able to get them, caution the global health agency as it releases its inaugural advice on the medications.
Considering over a billion individuals worldwide now classified as obese, it is advocating for increased and just access to these injectable treatments.
Based on projections, over two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The new guidelines recognises that obesity is a chronic disease that can be treated with thorough and ongoing support," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are major hurdles to widespread access to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing significant weight, explains the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Even under the current best projected outlook, the production of GLP-1 therapies could only cover approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, per the health organization.
The guideline calls on nations and manufacturers to widen availability, by strategies like licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the primary component of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in a number of countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Function
These medications imitate a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and boost feelings of fullness so users consume fewer calories.
Patients usually start to lose weight in the initial weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Studies points to users may regain a significant portion within a year of halting the treatment, when their usual food cravings return.
Being carrying excess weight increases your risk for contracting diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Obesity concerns individuals in countries worldwide and was associated with over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
