Less than 10% of people that would benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy can access them, states the WHO as it issues its initial guidance on the drugs.
Given in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now classified as obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer availability to this class of drugs.
According to projections, more than two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidelines recognises that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with comprehensive and continuous support," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are key barriers to universal availability to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing significant weight, says the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even under the present best projected outlook, the production of such drugs would only suffice for about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, per the WHO.
The advice calls on nations and manufacturers to widen access, through measures like patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the main ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in several nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Injections Operate
GLP-1 drugs replicate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and enhance the sense of being full so individuals eat less.
Patients typically see weight reduction in the initial weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Studies indicates people may see weight return within a year of halting the treatment, because their typical food cravings return.
To be carrying excess weight raises your likelihood for developing medical conditions, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Obesity impacts individuals in every country and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
