Less than one in 10 individuals eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy have access to them, warns the WHO as it issues its first recommendations on the drugs.
With more than one billion people worldwide now classified as obese, it is advocating for increased and just availability to these injectable treatments.
According to projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidelines affirms that obesity is a chronic disease that can be managed with comprehensive and continuous support," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are significant hurdles to broad access to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing considerable weight, notes the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Even under the current most optimistic outlook, the production of these medications would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, according to the WHO.
The advice calls on governments and firms to expand availability, via measures including voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the core component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Function
These medications replicate a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and increase feelings of fullness so individuals reduce food intake.
People commonly see weight reduction after several weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Studies points to people may put most of the weight back on a year later of stopping the medication, when their usual food cravings come back.
Being overweight or obese elevates your likelihood for developing health problems, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Obesity impacts individuals in countries worldwide and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
