Less than one in 10 patients eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy can access them, caution the global health agency as it issues its first guidance on the medications.
With more than one billion individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is advocating for broader and more equitable access to these injectable treatments.
Per projections, over two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidance recognises that obesity is a long-term condition that can be treated with holistic and continuous support," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are major barriers to widespread availability to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing considerable weight, says the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even in the present most optimistic scenario, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies could only cover around 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, according to the WHO.
The recommendation calls on countries and companies to widen availability, by strategies including licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the primary component of a leading brand – is set to lapse in multiple countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Operate
GLP-1 drugs replicate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and enhance satiety so people consume fewer calories.
Individuals typically begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Research indicates people may regain a significant portion within a year of halting the treatment, because their typical appetite return.
To be above a healthy weight increases your risk for developing medical conditions, including diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Obesity affects people in every country and was associated with over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
