Less than one in 10 individuals who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy can access them, caution the global health agency as it issues its initial recommendations on the therapies.
Considering more than one billion individuals worldwide currently living with obesity, it is calling for increased and just access to GLP-1 medication.
Per projections, over two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our latest guidelines affirms that obesity is a long-term condition that can be addressed with thorough and ongoing support," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are major hurdles to universal access to the injections that can assist patients in reducing considerable body mass, explains the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even under the present most optimistic scenario, the supply of these medications could only cover about 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, per the health organization.
The advice encourages countries and companies to widen availability, via approaches like patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the core ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in multiple nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Jabs Function
GLP-1 drugs replicate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and increase the sense of being full so people eat less.
Patients usually begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Evidence points to users may regain a significant portion within a year of halting the drug, when their typical hunger return.
To be overweight or obese increases your likelihood for experiencing diseases, like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some cancers.
Obesity affects individuals in all nations and was responsible for 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
