Less than one in 10 individuals eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy can access them, caution the global health agency as it issues its initial guidance on the drugs.
Considering over a billion people worldwide now living with obesity, it is calling for broader and more equitable availability to GLP-1 medication.
Based on projections, more than two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidelines affirms that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be addressed with thorough and continuous treatment," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are major barriers to widespread access to the injections that can aid individuals in losing considerable body mass, notes the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even under the current best projected scenario, the production of these medications would only suffice for about 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, according to the WHO.
The guideline encourages governments and firms to expand access, via approaches such as patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the core component of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in several nations in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Work
These medications replicate a natural hormone to slow digestion, curb appetite and boost the sense of being full so people eat less.
Patients typically see weight reduction within a few weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Studies suggests people may put most of the weight back on after a year of stopping the drug, because their normal hunger return.
Being carrying excess weight increases your likelihood for contracting health problems, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Excess weight affects people in every country and was associated with over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
