Fewer than one in 10 patients eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy have access to them, warns the global health agency as it releases its initial advice on the therapies.
Given over a billion people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is urging more widespread and fairer availability to these injectable treatments.
Based on projections, over two billion could be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidance acknowledges that obesity is a chronic disease that can be managed with thorough and continuous care," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are significant barriers to widespread availability to the injections that can assist patients in reducing significant body mass, explains the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Even under the present most optimistic case, the manufacturing of such drugs might only reach about 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, as stated by the WHO.
The guideline calls on governments and firms to expand access, through strategies like licensing agreements.
A patent on a key compound – the primary component of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in multiple countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Injections Work
GLP-1 drugs mimick a natural hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and increase satiety so individuals reduce food intake.
Individuals typically see weight reduction in the initial weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Evidence indicates people may see weight return after a year of halting the treatment, as their usual hunger return.
Being overweight or obese increases your risk for developing diseases, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers.
Excess weight affects people in countries worldwide and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
