Less than a tenth of patients who could benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy are able to get them, caution the global health agency as it publishes its initial recommendations on the medications.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide currently obese, it is urging broader and more equitable access to GLP-1 medication.
Per estimates, over two billion will be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our latest guidance affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be managed with thorough and ongoing care," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are key obstacles to broad availability to the injections that can help people shift significant body mass, explains the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even under the present most optimistic outlook, the supply of such drugs might only reach around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, according to the health organization.
The guideline encourages governments and firms to widen availability, by approaches including patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the core ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in several countries in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Function
GLP-1 drugs imitate a natural hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and enhance satiety so users eat less.
Individuals usually start to lose weight within a few weeks of commencing the regular doses.
Evidence suggests patients may regain a significant portion after a year of stopping the drug, because their usual food cravings resume.
Being overweight or obese increases your likelihood for contracting diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some cancers.
Obesity concerns individuals in every country and was responsible for over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
