Less than a tenth of patients eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy have access to them, caution the WHO as it publishes its initial advice on the therapies.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is calling for increased and just access to these injectable treatments.
According to estimates, more than two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our new guidelines affirms that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be managed with holistic and continuous support," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are significant obstacles to universal access to the injections that can help people shift considerable body mass, says the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Even in the present best projected outlook, the supply of such drugs might only reach approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, according to the WHO.
The advice urges countries and companies to widen availability, by approaches such as voluntary licensing.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the main ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in a number of countries in 2026.
How Obesity Drugs Work
GLP-1 drugs mimick a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and increase the sense of being full so people reduce food intake.
Patients commonly begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence suggests patients may put most of the weight back on after a year of halting the medication, because their normal food cravings return.
Being carrying excess weight elevates your chance for developing diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and some cancers.
Excess weight concerns individuals in all nations and was associated with over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
