Fewer than 10% of individuals who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy have access to them, warns the global health agency as it issues its inaugural advice on the drugs.
With over a billion people worldwide now obese, it is urging increased and just access to this class of drugs.
Per projections, more than two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidelines affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be managed with thorough and ongoing treatment," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are major obstacles to universal access to the injections that can help people shift considerable weight, notes the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even under the current most favorable scenario, the manufacturing of such drugs would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, according to the WHO.
The advice calls on governments and firms to expand access, by measures including patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the primary ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in several nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Injections Operate
The injections imitate a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and enhance satiety so individuals consume fewer calories.
Individuals commonly begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence points to people may regain a significant portion a year later of stopping the drug, because their typical food cravings return.
Being carrying excess weight raises your risk for experiencing diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight impacts people in every country and was associated with 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
