Less than one in 10 patients eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy can access them, caution the global health agency as it publishes its inaugural advice on the therapies.
With over a billion people worldwide now classified as 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 if no action is taken.
"The new guidelines affirms that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be managed with comprehensive and lifelong treatment," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are major hurdles to widespread availability to the jabs that can help people shift significant body mass, notes the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Despite the current most optimistic case, the manufacturing of these medications would only suffice for about 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, as stated by the health organization.
The recommendation urges countries and companies to widen access, by strategies such as voluntary licensing.
A patent on semaglutide – the main component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in several nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Work
GLP-1 drugs imitate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and boost the sense of being full so people consume fewer calories.
Individuals commonly see weight reduction after several weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Studies points to users may regain a significant portion after a year of stopping the treatment, because their usual hunger come back.
Being overweight or obese increases your risk for developing medical conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Excess weight impacts individuals in countries worldwide and was linked to millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
