Fewer than a tenth of individuals who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy have access to them, states the WHO as it publishes its inaugural recommendations on the medications.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide currently obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer availability to these injectable treatments.
Per estimates, over two billion will be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our new guidance recognises that obesity is a chronic disease that can be treated with comprehensive and ongoing care," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are significant obstacles to widespread access to the treatments that can help people shift substantial body mass, notes the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even in the present most favorable case, the production of GLP-1 therapies might only reach around 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, per the health organization.
The guideline encourages countries and companies to widen access, by strategies like patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the primary component of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in several countries in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Function
GLP-1 drugs replicate a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and enhance feelings of fullness so individuals reduce food intake.
People commonly start to lose weight in the initial weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Studies points to people may see weight return within a year of halting the drug, because their typical appetite come back.
To be above a healthy weight raises your chance for experiencing diseases, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some cancers.
Excess weight impacts individuals in all nations and was associated with 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
