Fewer than 10% of patients who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy can access them, states the WHO as it releases its initial advice on the drugs.
Given more than one billion people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer availability to these injectable treatments.
Per estimates, more than two billion could be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our new guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be treated with thorough and ongoing support," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are major barriers to widespread access to the injections that can help people shift substantial body mass, says the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even in the present most favorable scenario, the supply of GLP-1 therapies could only cover around 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, according to the health organization.
The guideline urges countries and companies to widen availability, via approaches like patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the main component of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in multiple nations in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Operate
These medications imitate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and increase feelings of fullness so users reduce food intake.
Individuals typically start to lose weight in the initial weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence indicates patients may see weight return a year later of stopping the treatment, as their usual appetite return.
To be above a healthy weight raises your likelihood for contracting diseases, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Obesity concerns people in every country and was associated with 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
