Under 10% of patients eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy can access them, warns the global health agency as it releases its inaugural recommendations on the therapies.
With more than one billion individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer availability to these injectable treatments.
Based on projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidance acknowledges that obesity is a chronic disease that can be treated with thorough and lifelong treatment," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are major barriers to broad availability to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing considerable body mass, says the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even under the current most optimistic outlook, the supply of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, per the health organization.
The advice calls on governments and firms to widen access, through strategies like licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the primary component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in several nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Drugs Work
The injections mimick a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and increase satiety so users eat less.
Patients typically begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of commencing the regular doses.
Research suggests people may regain a significant portion after a year of halting the medication, as their usual food cravings return.
To be overweight or obese elevates your risk for contracting diseases, like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Obesity impacts people in countries worldwide and was responsible for millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
