Less than one in 10 individuals who could benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy have access to them, states the WHO as it issues its first recommendations on the therapies.
Considering over a billion people worldwide now obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer access to GLP-1 medication.
Based on projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The new guidelines recognises that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with comprehensive and lifelong support," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are key hurdles to universal access to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing considerable body mass, notes the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Despite the present most optimistic case, the supply of these medications might only reach around 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, according to the health organization.
The recommendation encourages countries and companies to expand availability, through strategies such as patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the main ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in several nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Work
These medications mimick a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and enhance the sense of being full so people consume fewer calories.
People typically begin shedding pounds after several weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence points to patients may see weight return within a year of discontinuing the medication, as their usual food cravings come back.
To be overweight or obese elevates your likelihood for developing medical conditions, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight concerns people in every country and was associated with over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
