Less than 10% of individuals eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy have access to them, states the global health agency as it publishes its inaugural guidance on the drugs.
With over a billion individuals worldwide currently classified as obese, it is advocating for increased and just availability to GLP-1 medication.
According to projections, over two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidance affirms that obesity is a chronic disease that can be treated with comprehensive and continuous support," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are key obstacles to broad access to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing significant body mass, notes the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Even under the current most optimistic case, the manufacturing of such drugs would only suffice for about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, per the WHO.
The guideline encourages countries and companies to increase availability, by strategies like voluntary licensing.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the main component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Function
The injections imitate a body's own hormone to slow digestion, curb appetite and enhance the sense of being full so people consume fewer calories.
People usually start to lose weight in the initial weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence points to patients may see weight return a year later of stopping the drug, as their normal appetite return.
Being carrying excess weight elevates your likelihood for contracting diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight affects people in every country and was linked to millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
