Under one in 10 patients that would benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy have access to them, states the WHO as it publishes its first advice on the drugs.
With more than one billion people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is urging broader and more equitable availability to this class of drugs.
Per estimates, over two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The new guidance acknowledges that obesity is a long-term condition that can be managed with comprehensive and lifelong support," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are major barriers to universal availability to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing substantial weight, explains the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Even under the current best projected outlook, the production of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for about 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, according to the WHO.
The advice urges nations and manufacturers to expand access, through measures such as licensing agreements.
A patent on a key compound – the main component of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in multiple nations in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Function
GLP-1 drugs imitate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and increase the sense of being full so people eat less.
Patients typically start to lose weight in the initial weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Studies points to users may put most of the weight back on within a year of stopping the drug, when their usual food cravings resume.
Being above a healthy weight increases your chance for experiencing health problems, like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some cancers.
Excess weight concerns people in countries worldwide and was responsible for 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
