Under a tenth of people eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy can access them, states the global health agency as it issues its inaugural recommendations on the therapies.
Given more than one billion people worldwide now obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable access to this class of drugs.
According to projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The latest guidance acknowledges that obesity is a chronic disease that can be managed with holistic and ongoing support," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are key hurdles to broad availability to the treatments that can help people shift considerable body mass, explains the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Even under the current most optimistic outlook, the manufacturing of these medications would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the health organization.
The advice calls on nations and manufacturers to widen availability, by approaches such as patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the main component of a leading brand – is set to lapse in several nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Injections Work
These medications replicate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and enhance feelings of fullness so people consume fewer calories.
People typically begin shedding pounds after several weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Evidence points to users may regain a significant portion a year later of stopping the drug, because their normal appetite resume.
Being overweight or obese raises your chance for developing health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Obesity affects individuals in all nations and was responsible for millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
