Fewer than a tenth of patients who could benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy can access them, caution the WHO as it publishes its inaugural recommendations on the therapies.
Given more than one billion individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is urging more widespread and fairer availability to GLP-1 medication.
According to projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The latest guidelines acknowledges that obesity is a long-term condition that can be treated with holistic and lifelong support," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are significant hurdles to widespread access to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing considerable weight, explains the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even in the current most optimistic outlook, the production of such drugs would only suffice for about 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the WHO.
The advice calls on countries and companies to widen access, via approaches like patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the main ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Work
The injections replicate a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and increase satiety so people reduce food intake.
Patients commonly see weight reduction in the initial weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence suggests patients may regain a significant portion after a year of stopping the drug, as their usual food cravings come back.
Being overweight or obese elevates your likelihood for contracting medical conditions, including diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain cancers.
Obesity affects individuals in every country and was associated with 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
