Under one in 10 individuals eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy have access to them, caution the global health agency as it issues its inaugural advice on the medications.
Given more than one billion individuals worldwide currently obese, it is urging broader and more equitable access to this class of drugs.
According to forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our new guidance affirms that obesity is a chronic disease that can be addressed with holistic and lifelong care," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are significant obstacles to widespread availability to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing significant body mass, explains the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Even under the current best projected scenario, the production of such drugs could only cover about 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, according to the WHO.
The recommendation calls on nations and manufacturers to widen access, by measures such as licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the core component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Injections Work
GLP-1 drugs imitate a natural hormone to slow digestion, curb appetite and boost the sense of being full so people consume fewer calories.
People typically start to lose weight within a few weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Research suggests patients may put most of the weight back on after a year of halting the medication, because their usual appetite return.
Being above a healthy weight raises your chance for contracting health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some cancers.
Excess weight concerns individuals in countries worldwide and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
