Less than one in 10 patients eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy are able to get them, caution the World Health Organization as it releases its first advice on the medications.
With over a billion people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer availability to GLP-1 medication.
According to estimates, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidance recognises that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with thorough and lifelong care," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are major obstacles to universal availability to the jabs that can help people shift significant body mass, explains the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Despite the present most optimistic scenario, the production of these medications might only reach around 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, according to the health organization.
The guideline urges nations and manufacturers to expand access, through strategies including patent sharing.
A patent on semaglutide – the primary component of a leading brand – is due to expire in multiple countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Operate
These medications mimick a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and boost feelings of fullness so individuals consume fewer calories.
People commonly see weight reduction after several weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Research points to users may put most of the weight back on after a year of discontinuing the medication, as their usual appetite come back.
To be above a healthy weight increases your risk for developing diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Excess weight affects individuals in every country and was associated with 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
