Fewer than 10% of individuals eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy can access them, warns the WHO as it releases its inaugural guidance on the therapies.
Given more than one billion people worldwide now obese, it is advocating for increased and just access to GLP-1 medication.
According to estimates, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be addressed with thorough and lifelong treatment," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are key hurdles to broad access to the injections that can aid individuals in losing significant body mass, notes the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Despite the current most favorable case, the manufacturing of such drugs could only cover about 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, as stated by the WHO.
The advice calls on countries and companies to increase availability, through measures including voluntary licensing.
A patent on semaglutide – the core component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in multiple countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Injections Work
These medications replicate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and enhance feelings of fullness so individuals consume fewer calories.
Patients typically see weight reduction within a few weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Evidence suggests users may see weight return within a year of stopping the medication, as their normal appetite return.
To be overweight or obese raises your likelihood for contracting medical conditions, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight affects people in all nations and was responsible for over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
