Under a tenth of patients that would benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy have access to them, caution the WHO as it publishes its inaugural guidance on the therapies.
Given in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now obese, it is urging broader and more equitable access to these injectable treatments.
According to forecasts, more than two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidance recognises that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be managed with comprehensive and continuous treatment," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are major obstacles to universal availability to the treatments that can help people shift substantial body mass, says the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Despite the current most optimistic scenario, the manufacturing of such drugs would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, per the WHO.
The guideline urges governments and firms to widen access, via measures such as licensing agreements.
A patent on semaglutide – the core ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Function
The injections mimick a body's own hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and boost the sense of being full so individuals reduce food intake.
People commonly start to lose weight after several weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Research points to patients may put most of the weight back on within a year of stopping the medication, because their normal appetite resume.
Being carrying excess weight elevates your chance for contracting diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Obesity affects individuals in all nations and was responsible for millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
