Under one in 10 patients eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy are able to get them, states the global health agency as it issues its inaugural guidance on the drugs.
Considering over a billion individuals worldwide currently obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable availability to these injectable treatments.
According to estimates, more than two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our latest guidance affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be addressed with holistic and lifelong treatment," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are key obstacles to broad access to the jabs that can help people shift significant body mass, says the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Even under the present best projected case, the production of GLP-1 therapies could only cover about 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, according to the WHO.
The recommendation urges governments and firms to widen access, via strategies including patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the primary component of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in several nations in 2026.
How Obesity Drugs Operate
These medications replicate a natural hormone to slow digestion, reduce hunger and increase feelings of fullness so users consume fewer calories.
Individuals typically start to lose weight in the initial weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Evidence suggests users may regain a significant portion after a year of stopping the drug, because their typical appetite resume.
Being overweight or obese elevates your likelihood for developing medical conditions, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some malignancies.
Excess weight impacts people in countries worldwide and was linked to 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
