Fewer than a tenth of individuals eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy can access them, caution the WHO as it issues its initial recommendations on the drugs.
Considering over a billion people worldwide now classified as obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable access to GLP-1 medication.
According to projections, over two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidance acknowledges that obesity is a long-term condition that can be managed with comprehensive and lifelong support," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are significant hurdles to universal availability to the injections that can aid individuals in losing substantial weight, says the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Even in the current most optimistic scenario, the supply of GLP-1 therapies could only cover around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, per the WHO.
The recommendation encourages governments and firms to increase availability, by strategies such as patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the main component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Injections Operate
GLP-1 drugs replicate a natural hormone to slow digestion, reduce hunger and increase satiety so individuals consume fewer calories.
Individuals typically see weight reduction after several weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Research suggests people may put most of the weight back on after a year of discontinuing the drug, as their normal hunger resume.
To be carrying excess weight raises your risk for experiencing health problems, like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and certain cancers.
Excess weight concerns individuals in all nations and was responsible for 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
