Fewer than one in 10 people who could benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy are able to get them, warns the global health agency as it releases its inaugural guidance on the therapies.
With more than one billion people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is calling for broader and more equitable availability to GLP-1 medication.
Based on forecasts, over two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The new guidance recognises that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be managed with comprehensive and ongoing care," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are key barriers to broad availability to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing considerable body mass, explains the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Even in the present most favorable scenario, the production of such drugs could only cover approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, according to the health organization.
The advice encourages governments and firms to expand access, through approaches including licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the primary component of a leading brand – is due to expire in a number of nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Function
GLP-1 drugs replicate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and boost satiety so people eat less.
Individuals usually see weight reduction within a few weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Evidence suggests patients may regain a significant portion within a year of discontinuing the drug, because their typical appetite resume.
To be carrying excess weight raises your chance for developing medical conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain cancers.
Excess weight concerns people in every country and was associated with 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
