Fewer than one in 10 individuals eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy can access them, states the WHO as it releases its inaugural recommendations on the therapies.
Given more than one billion people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is calling for more widespread and fairer availability to these injectable treatments.
According to forecasts, more than two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our latest guidelines affirms that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be treated with holistic and lifelong support," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are significant hurdles to widespread access to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing considerable weight, explains the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Even in the present most favorable case, the supply of these medications would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, according to the WHO.
The guideline calls on countries and companies to widen availability, by measures including licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the core ingredient of a leading brand – is set to lapse in several countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Work
The injections mimick a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and boost feelings of fullness so individuals consume fewer calories.
Patients commonly start to lose weight after several weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Evidence indicates patients may put most of the weight back on within a year of halting the treatment, as their normal hunger return.
Being carrying excess weight elevates your chance for experiencing medical conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Obesity concerns people in countries worldwide and was linked to millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
