Less than 10% of individuals eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy have access to them, states the WHO as it issues its inaugural recommendations on the drugs.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now classified as obese, it is urging broader and more equitable availability to these injectable treatments.
Based on forecasts, over two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our new guidelines recognises that obesity is a chronic disease that can be treated with holistic and continuous support," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are major barriers to widespread access to the treatments that can help people shift considerable weight, explains the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even in the current most favorable case, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies could only cover about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, according to the health organization.
The guideline calls on nations and manufacturers to expand availability, via strategies such as patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the core component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in a number of nations in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Function
The injections mimick a natural hormone to slow digestion, reduce hunger and boost the sense of being full so individuals reduce food intake.
Individuals typically begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Studies points to patients may put most of the weight back on after a year of discontinuing the medication, when their typical food cravings resume.
To be above a healthy weight elevates your chance for experiencing health problems, like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight concerns individuals in every country and was responsible for 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
