Under one in 10 people who could benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy are able to get them, warns the global health agency as it issues its inaugural recommendations on the therapies.
Considering over a billion individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is calling for increased and just availability to this class of drugs.
Based on projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our latest guidance affirms that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be managed with comprehensive and ongoing treatment," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are significant obstacles to universal availability to the jabs that can help people shift significant weight, explains the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Even under the present most optimistic scenario, the supply of such drugs might only reach approximately 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, according to the WHO.
The advice encourages countries and companies to expand availability, by measures such as licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the main component of a leading brand – is set to lapse in multiple countries in 2026.
How Obesity Drugs Operate
The injections imitate a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and increase satiety so individuals consume fewer calories.
People typically begin shedding pounds after several weeks of commencing the regular doses.
Evidence suggests people may put most of the weight back on a year later of halting the drug, when their normal appetite come back.
Being above a healthy weight raises your risk for contracting diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some malignancies.
Excess weight impacts people in all nations and was responsible for over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
