Fewer than one in 10 patients who could benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy can access them, states the global health agency as it issues its first advice on the medications.
Given over a billion people worldwide now obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer availability to GLP-1 medication.
Based on projections, over two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidelines affirms that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be managed with comprehensive and continuous support," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are major barriers to universal access to the jabs that can help people shift substantial body mass, says the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Despite the present best projected outlook, the supply of such drugs would only suffice for around 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the WHO.
The recommendation urges nations and manufacturers to increase access, by strategies like patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the main component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Function
GLP-1 drugs imitate a biological compound to slow digestion, reduce hunger and boost feelings of fullness so users reduce food intake.
Patients usually start to lose weight after several weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Studies indicates users may put most of the weight back on a year later of halting the treatment, as their typical hunger return.
To be above a healthy weight increases your chance for experiencing medical conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and specific cancers.
Obesity concerns people in countries worldwide and was linked to 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
