Less than one in 10 patients eligible to benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy can access them, states the WHO as it publishes its first advice on the medications.
Given more than one billion individuals worldwide now classified as obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer availability to GLP-1 medication.
Per estimates, more than two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our new guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be addressed with thorough and lifelong support," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are significant hurdles to widespread availability to the injections that can assist patients in reducing substantial body mass, says the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Even under the current best projected outlook, the manufacturing of such drugs might only reach approximately 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, according to the health organization.
The advice urges governments and firms to widen availability, via measures including patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the main ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Operate
These medications replicate a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and enhance satiety so users consume fewer calories.
Patients typically begin shedding pounds after several weeks of commencing the regular doses.
Evidence indicates patients may regain a significant portion within a year of stopping the treatment, because their normal hunger return.
To be overweight or obese increases your risk for contracting medical conditions, including diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Obesity impacts people in every country and was linked to 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
