Less than one in 10 individuals who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy are able to get them, warns the WHO as it publishes its initial advice on the drugs.
Considering more than one billion individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is calling for increased and just availability to GLP-1 medication.
Based on forecasts, more than two billion could be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our latest guidelines affirms that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be treated with thorough and lifelong support," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are major hurdles to universal access to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing considerable body mass, notes the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even in the present most optimistic scenario, the production of these medications could only cover about 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, per the WHO.
The advice encourages nations and manufacturers to expand access, by approaches including licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the core ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Injections Work
The injections replicate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and boost satiety so users reduce food intake.
People typically begin shedding pounds after several weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Research indicates patients may see weight return after a year of stopping the medication, as their typical food cravings resume.
To be carrying excess weight increases your likelihood for experiencing medical conditions, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some malignancies.
Excess weight affects individuals in all nations and was responsible for 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
