Less than one in 10 patients eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy are able to get them, caution the global health agency as it releases its initial advice on the therapies.
With over a billion people worldwide now obese, it is calling for increased and just access to this class of drugs.
Based on forecasts, more than two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our new guidelines affirms that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be addressed with comprehensive and lifelong support," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are major obstacles to widespread access to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing substantial weight, explains the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Despite the present most optimistic scenario, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies could only cover approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the WHO.
The advice encourages nations and manufacturers to widen access, through approaches such as patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the core component of a leading brand – is due to expire in a number of nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Function
GLP-1 drugs replicate a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and enhance the sense of being full so individuals eat less.
People typically see weight reduction within a few weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Research points to users may see weight return a year later of stopping the treatment, as their usual appetite come back.
Being above a healthy weight raises your chance for contracting diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight affects people in all nations and was associated with millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
