Fewer than one in 10 individuals who could benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy can access them, caution the WHO as it issues its first recommendations on the therapies.
Given over a billion people worldwide now classified as obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer access to this class of drugs.
According to estimates, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The latest guidelines affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with thorough and ongoing care," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are key hurdles to widespread availability to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing considerable body mass, says the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Even in the present most optimistic scenario, the production of these medications would only suffice for around 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, as stated by the health organization.
The guideline calls on countries and companies to widen access, through measures like voluntary licensing.
A patent on semaglutide – the core component of a leading brand – is due to expire in several nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Injections Function
GLP-1 drugs mimick a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and increase satiety so individuals eat less.
Individuals typically start to lose weight after several weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Research suggests patients may put most of the weight back on within a year of discontinuing the drug, as their normal food cravings return.
To be above a healthy weight raises your chance for developing health problems, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and certain cancers.
Obesity affects people in every country and was linked to over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
