Fewer than 10% of patients eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy can access them, caution the global health agency as it issues its inaugural advice on the drugs.
Given in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable access to these injectable treatments.
Per forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidelines recognises that obesity is a long-term condition that can be addressed with thorough and lifelong support," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are significant barriers to universal availability to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing considerable body mass, explains the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Even in the present most favorable scenario, the supply of such drugs might only reach around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, per the WHO.
The recommendation encourages governments and firms to increase access, by measures such as licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the main component of a leading brand – is due to expire in a number of countries in 2026.
How Obesity Drugs Function
GLP-1 drugs imitate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and enhance feelings of fullness so individuals reduce food intake.
Patients usually begin shedding pounds after several weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Studies points to people may regain a significant portion within a year of halting the treatment, because their typical hunger resume.
Being above a healthy weight elevates your chance for contracting diseases, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some cancers.
Obesity impacts people in countries worldwide and was linked to over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
