Fewer than a tenth of individuals eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy have access to them, caution the World Health Organization as it issues its initial recommendations on the medications.
With more than one billion individuals worldwide now obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable access to these injectable treatments.
Based on estimates, more than two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our new guidance affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with holistic and ongoing support," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are major hurdles to universal availability to the injections that can aid individuals in losing significant body mass, says the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Even in the current most optimistic case, the production of these medications could only cover around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the WHO.
The advice calls on nations and manufacturers to expand access, by strategies including voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the main component of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in several countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Injections Work
The injections replicate a body's own hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and boost the sense of being full so people eat less.
Individuals commonly begin shedding pounds after several weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Research suggests people may regain a significant portion after a year of stopping the treatment, when their typical appetite return.
To be overweight or obese elevates your risk for contracting diseases, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some malignancies.
Excess weight impacts individuals in every country and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
