Fewer than 10% of individuals that would benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy are able to get them, caution the WHO as it publishes its inaugural recommendations on the drugs.
Considering more than one billion people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is calling for broader and more equitable availability to this class of drugs.
According to projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 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 treated with comprehensive and ongoing support," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are significant obstacles to widespread access to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing considerable weight, notes the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Even under the current best projected outlook, the supply of GLP-1 therapies might only reach about 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the WHO.
The recommendation encourages countries and companies to expand access, through strategies such as licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the primary component of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Operate
These medications replicate a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and enhance feelings of fullness so users eat less.
Patients typically start to lose weight after several weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Studies indicates users may regain a significant portion a year later of stopping the medication, because their normal food cravings come back.
To be above a healthy weight raises your chance for contracting diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Excess weight impacts individuals in countries worldwide and was associated with over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
