Fewer than a tenth of individuals eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy are able to get them, states the WHO as it issues its inaugural recommendations on the medications.
Given more than one billion individuals worldwide now obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable access to this class of drugs.
According to projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The new guidelines affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be managed with holistic and lifelong care," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are major obstacles to universal availability to the injections that can assist patients in reducing substantial weight, explains the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Even under the current most optimistic case, the supply of these medications would only suffice for about 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, per the WHO.
The advice encourages countries and companies to expand availability, via approaches including voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the core ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in multiple countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Injections Operate
These medications replicate a biological compound to slow digestion, reduce hunger and enhance the sense of being full so users consume fewer calories.
People typically begin shedding pounds after several weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Studies points to people may put most of the weight back on within a year of stopping the medication, because their usual appetite resume.
Being overweight or obese raises your likelihood for developing medical conditions, including diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Excess weight impacts people in countries worldwide and was responsible for over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
