Fewer than 10% of patients that would benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy are able to get them, warns the global health agency as it publishes its inaugural advice on the therapies.
With over a billion people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is advocating for broader and more equitable availability to this class of drugs.
According to projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidance recognises that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be managed with holistic and continuous treatment," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are key hurdles to widespread access to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing considerable weight, notes the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even in the present most optimistic outlook, the supply of such drugs might only reach about 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, according to the WHO.
The guideline urges countries and companies to expand access, via approaches like voluntary licensing.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the main ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in several nations in 2026.
How Obesity Drugs Work
These medications imitate a natural hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and boost feelings of fullness so users eat less.
Patients typically start to lose weight within a few weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Research indicates patients may regain a significant portion within a year of discontinuing the drug, when their normal appetite come back.
Being above a healthy weight raises your risk for contracting diseases, like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Obesity affects people in all nations and was linked to 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
