Less than one in 10 patients eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy are able to get them, states the WHO as it issues its first recommendations on the therapies.
With over a billion people worldwide currently obese, it is urging broader and more equitable availability to GLP-1 medication.
According to estimates, over two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidance recognises that obesity is a chronic disease that can be treated with thorough and ongoing treatment," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are key hurdles to universal availability to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing significant weight, notes the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Despite the present most optimistic outlook, the production of such drugs would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, according to the WHO.
The recommendation calls on nations and manufacturers to widen access, via approaches such as patent sharing.
A patent on the active ingredient – the primary component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in multiple nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Injections Work
These medications imitate a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and enhance the sense of being full so users eat less.
People typically begin shedding pounds after several weeks of commencing the regular doses.
Studies indicates patients may regain a significant portion after a year of stopping the treatment, as their normal hunger return.
Being carrying excess weight elevates your risk for developing diseases, like diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and some cancers.
Obesity affects people in countries worldwide and was responsible for over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
