Less than one in 10 people eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy can access them, warns the WHO as it publishes its initial recommendations on the drugs.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide currently obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable access to GLP-1 medication.
Based on forecasts, over two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The new guidance acknowledges that obesity is a chronic disease that can be treated with thorough and ongoing treatment," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are major barriers to broad access to the injections that can aid individuals in losing substantial body mass, notes the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Even in the present most optimistic case, the manufacturing of these medications could only cover around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the health organization.
The guideline urges countries and companies to expand availability, via measures like patent sharing.
A patent on a key compound – the primary component of a leading brand – is set to lapse in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Injections Work
These medications replicate a natural hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and enhance the sense of being full so users reduce food intake.
People usually see weight reduction within a few weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence indicates users may see weight return after a year of stopping the treatment, as their normal food cravings resume.
Being carrying excess weight increases your chance for developing health problems, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers.
Obesity impacts people in every country and was linked to millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
