Less than 10% of patients that would benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy are able to get them, warns the WHO as it releases its inaugural advice on the therapies.
Given over a billion people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable availability to GLP-1 medication.
According to estimates, more than two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidance acknowledges that obesity is a chronic disease that can be addressed with holistic and lifelong treatment," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are significant hurdles to widespread availability to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing substantial weight, says the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Even under the current most favorable case, the production of these medications could only cover around 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the WHO.
The recommendation encourages countries and companies to expand access, by measures such as patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the main component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in several nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Drugs Work
These medications replicate a natural hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and boost the sense of being full so people eat less.
People usually start to lose weight in the initial weeks of commencing the regular doses.
Evidence indicates people may regain a significant portion a year later of stopping the treatment, as their typical food cravings come back.
To be overweight or obese elevates your risk for contracting health problems, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some cancers.
Excess weight affects people in every country and was responsible for over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
