Less than a tenth of individuals that would benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy can access them, caution the global health agency as it publishes its initial guidance on the therapies.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is urging broader and more equitable access to GLP-1 medication.
According to estimates, over two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidelines affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be addressed with holistic and ongoing treatment," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are key hurdles to universal availability to the injections that can assist patients in reducing considerable body mass, explains the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Despite the current most favorable scenario, the manufacturing of these medications would only suffice for around 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, according to the health organization.
The recommendation encourages nations and manufacturers to widen availability, through approaches like patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the main component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Function
GLP-1 drugs replicate a body's own hormone to slow digestion, reduce hunger and increase satiety so users consume fewer calories.
Individuals typically begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Evidence suggests people may see weight return within a year of halting the treatment, because their typical hunger return.
Being above a healthy weight elevates your risk for contracting diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Obesity concerns people in every country and was responsible for millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.