Less than one in 10 patients who could benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy have access to them, states the WHO as it releases its first recommendations on the drugs.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now living with obesity, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer access to this class of drugs.
Based on projections, more than two billion will be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our new guidelines affirms that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be managed with holistic and lifelong treatment," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are significant obstacles to widespread availability to the injections that can assist patients in reducing significant weight, says the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Even under the present most optimistic outlook, the production of these medications might only reach around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, per the health organization.
The advice encourages nations and manufacturers to increase availability, by strategies like patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the primary component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in several nations in 2026.
How Obesity Drugs Operate
GLP-1 drugs imitate a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and boost satiety so users reduce food intake.
People typically begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Evidence points to patients may put most of the weight back on within a year of stopping the drug, because their typical food cravings return.
To be overweight or obese increases your likelihood for experiencing medical conditions, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Obesity impacts individuals in countries worldwide and was responsible for millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
