Less than one in 10 people that would benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy can access them, caution the global health agency as it releases its inaugural recommendations on the drugs.
Considering over a billion individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is calling for more widespread and fairer availability to GLP-1 medication.
Per estimates, more than two billion will be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The latest guidelines recognises that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be addressed with holistic and ongoing care," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are major hurdles to universal availability to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing considerable body mass, says the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even under the current best projected outlook, the supply of GLP-1 therapies could only cover around 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, as stated by the health organization.
The advice encourages countries and companies to increase availability, through strategies including voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the core ingredient of a leading brand – is due to expire in several countries in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Operate
These medications imitate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and increase the sense of being full so individuals reduce food intake.
Patients usually start to lose weight in the initial weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Studies suggests users may see weight return after a year of stopping the medication, as their usual food cravings resume.
To be carrying excess weight increases your chance for experiencing health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and certain cancers.
Obesity concerns individuals in every country and was associated with over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
