Under a tenth of patients eligible to benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy have access to them, caution the WHO as it publishes its inaugural recommendations on the drugs.
Considering over a billion individuals worldwide now classified as obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable availability to GLP-1 medication.
Based on forecasts, more than two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidelines recognises that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be managed with comprehensive and continuous care," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are significant barriers to widespread access to the treatments that can help people shift significant body mass, notes the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Despite the current best projected case, the production of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, according to the WHO.
The advice urges countries and companies to widen access, via strategies including licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the core ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Function
The injections replicate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and enhance the sense of being full so users consume fewer calories.
People typically start to lose weight after several weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Evidence suggests people may regain a significant portion after a year of discontinuing the drug, when their normal food cravings come back.
Being carrying excess weight increases your risk for experiencing health problems, including diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight affects individuals in all nations and was linked to 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
