Fewer than 10% of people that would benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy are able to get them, caution the global health agency as it releases its inaugural guidance on the drugs.
With over a billion people worldwide now obese, it is calling for increased and just access to GLP-1 medication.
According to projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our latest guidance affirms that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with comprehensive and ongoing care," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are significant hurdles to universal access to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing significant weight, notes the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Despite the current best projected scenario, the production of such drugs would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, according to the health organization.
The guideline calls on nations and manufacturers to expand availability, by strategies such as licensing agreements.
A patent on a key compound – the main component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Drugs Operate
GLP-1 drugs imitate a biological compound to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and increase feelings of fullness so users eat less.
Patients commonly start to lose weight within a few weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Research points to patients may regain a significant portion within a year of discontinuing the drug, because their typical appetite resume.
To be overweight or obese elevates your likelihood for contracting diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain cancers.
Excess weight concerns people in countries worldwide and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
