Fewer than 10% of individuals eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy are able to get them, states the WHO as it releases its inaugural recommendations on the drugs.
With over a billion individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is advocating for increased and just availability to GLP-1 medication.
Based on forecasts, over two billion could be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our new guidelines affirms that obesity is a chronic disease that can be treated with holistic and ongoing support," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are major hurdles to broad access to the jabs that can help people shift considerable weight, notes the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Even in the present most optimistic scenario, the supply of such drugs might only reach around 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the WHO.
The advice urges nations and manufacturers to expand access, via measures such as voluntary licensing.
A patent on the active ingredient – the core component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in several nations in 2026.
How Obesity Drugs Function
GLP-1 drugs replicate a natural hormone to slow digestion, curb appetite and boost feelings of fullness so users consume fewer calories.
People commonly begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Evidence points to people may see weight return within a year of stopping the treatment, because their typical food cravings come back.
Being carrying excess weight raises your chance for contracting health problems, including diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some cancers.
Obesity concerns individuals in countries worldwide and was linked to 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
