Fewer than 10% of people that would benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy are able to get them, caution the global health agency as it releases its initial guidance on the medications.
With over a billion people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer access to these injectable treatments.
Per projections, more than two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidance affirms that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be addressed with holistic and lifelong support," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are significant hurdles to universal availability to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing substantial body mass, notes the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Even in the current most optimistic scenario, the production of such drugs could only cover approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, according to the WHO.
The guideline encourages nations and manufacturers to widen access, through strategies including voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the primary component of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Injections Work
These medications replicate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and enhance the sense of being full so individuals consume fewer calories.
People usually begin shedding pounds after several weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Research suggests patients may put most of the weight back on within a year of discontinuing the medication, because their typical appetite come back.
To be overweight or obese raises your risk for developing health problems, including diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and some malignancies.
Obesity affects people in every country and was associated with 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
