Fewer than 10% of people who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy are able to get them, states the WHO as it issues its inaugural advice on the medications.
Given more than one billion people worldwide now living with obesity, it is calling for broader and more equitable access to GLP-1 medication.
According to projections, over two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The new guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be addressed with thorough and lifelong support," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are significant hurdles to widespread access to the treatments that can help people shift considerable weight, notes the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Despite the present best projected outlook, the production of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for about 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, as stated by the WHO.
The recommendation urges nations and manufacturers to widen availability, through measures like licensing agreements.
A patent on semaglutide – the primary ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in a number of nations in 2026.
How Obesity Drugs Operate
The injections mimick a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and boost the sense of being full so people eat less.
Individuals typically see weight reduction after several weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence indicates users may regain a significant portion a year later of discontinuing the medication, as their normal hunger resume.
To be above a healthy weight increases your likelihood for contracting health problems, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some malignancies.
Obesity affects people in all nations and was linked to 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
