Less than one in 10 individuals who could benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy are able to get them, states the global health agency as it issues its initial recommendations on the therapies.
Considering more than one billion individuals worldwide currently obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer availability to this class of drugs.
Based on forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our latest guidelines recognises that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be treated with holistic and ongoing treatment," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are significant barriers to universal access to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing significant weight, notes the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even in the current most optimistic outlook, the supply of GLP-1 therapies might only reach approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, according to the WHO.
The advice calls on countries and companies to increase access, by strategies such as voluntary licensing.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the main ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Operate
GLP-1 drugs replicate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and boost the sense of being full so people consume fewer calories.
Patients typically begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence points to people may regain a significant portion a year later of discontinuing the drug, because their normal appetite resume.
Being above a healthy weight increases your chance for experiencing health problems, including diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Obesity impacts people in all nations and was associated with millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
