Fewer than a tenth of patients that would benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy can access them, states the global health agency as it releases its inaugural recommendations on the therapies.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now obese, it is urging increased and just access to GLP-1 medication.
According to forecasts, more than two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidance recognises that obesity is a chronic disease that can be managed with comprehensive and lifelong care," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are major barriers to broad availability to the treatments that can help people shift significant body mass, notes the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even in the present most favorable outlook, the manufacturing of such drugs could only cover around 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the health organization.
The recommendation encourages nations and manufacturers to widen availability, by strategies such as voluntary licensing.
A patent on a key compound – the main component of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in a number of countries in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Work
These medications mimick a body's own hormone to slow digestion, reduce hunger and boost the sense of being full so individuals eat less.
People usually see weight reduction within a few weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence points to users may put most of the weight back on after a year of discontinuing the medication, as their typical food cravings return.
Being carrying excess weight elevates your risk for developing diseases, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific cancers.
Obesity affects individuals in countries worldwide and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
