Fewer than one in 10 patients that would benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy can access them, warns the global health agency as it publishes its inaugural guidance on the drugs.
Given in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide now classified as obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer availability to this class of drugs.
Per projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our latest guidance recognises that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be addressed with comprehensive and ongoing support," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are key barriers to broad availability to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing considerable body mass, notes the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even under the present most favorable outlook, the supply of such drugs would only suffice for around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, according to the WHO.
The advice urges governments and firms to expand access, via approaches like patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the primary component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of nations in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Operate
These medications imitate a biological compound to slow digestion, curb appetite and enhance the sense of being full so people eat less.
Individuals typically begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Evidence indicates people may see weight return within a year of halting the treatment, when their normal food cravings return.
To be carrying excess weight raises your likelihood for developing medical conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight affects individuals in all nations and was responsible for 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
