Under 10% of individuals that would benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy are able to get them, warns the WHO as it publishes its initial advice on the therapies.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now classified as obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer access to this class of drugs.
According to forecasts, more than two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our new guidelines affirms that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be managed with comprehensive and continuous treatment," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are major barriers to widespread availability to the injections that can aid individuals in losing substantial weight, explains the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Even in the current best projected scenario, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, per the WHO.
The advice calls on nations and manufacturers to widen access, via strategies such as patent sharing.
A patent on a key compound – the core component of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Injections Work
GLP-1 drugs imitate a body's own hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and enhance feelings of fullness so people eat less.
Patients commonly begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Evidence indicates people may see weight return within a year of stopping the medication, as their normal food cravings resume.
Being carrying excess weight raises your risk for developing diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Obesity impacts people in countries worldwide and was linked to 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
