Fewer than one in 10 individuals who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy are able to get them, caution the WHO as it issues its initial recommendations on the drugs.
Given more than one billion people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer availability to GLP-1 medication.
Per estimates, more than two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The new guidance acknowledges that obesity is a chronic disease that can be addressed with thorough and lifelong support," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are major barriers to universal availability to the injections that can help people shift substantial body mass, explains the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Even under the present most optimistic case, the production of GLP-1 therapies might only reach approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the WHO.
The advice calls on governments and firms to expand access, through measures such as voluntary licensing.
A patent on the active ingredient – the main ingredient of a leading brand – is due to expire in multiple nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Work
The injections mimick a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and enhance satiety so people eat less.
Patients usually begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Research suggests patients may see weight return a year later of halting the drug, when their typical food cravings come back.
Being overweight or obese raises your chance for experiencing health problems, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight affects people in every country and was responsible for millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
