Less than one in 10 individuals eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy can access them, warns the WHO as it releases its initial advice on the medications.
Considering over a billion individuals worldwide currently classified as obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable availability to these injectable treatments.
Based on projections, over two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidelines recognises that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be managed with holistic and continuous support," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are key barriers to broad access to the treatments that can help people shift significant weight, says the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even under the present most optimistic outlook, the supply of GLP-1 therapies might only reach around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the WHO.
The guideline encourages governments and firms to increase availability, by measures like patent sharing.
A patent on a key compound – the primary component of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in several nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Work
GLP-1 drugs replicate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and boost feelings of fullness so people reduce food intake.
Patients typically start to lose weight after several weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Studies points to patients may regain a significant portion a year later of discontinuing the drug, because their usual food cravings resume.
Being carrying excess weight increases your risk for developing diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some cancers.
Excess weight impacts people in countries worldwide and was associated with millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
