Under one in 10 patients that would benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy are able to get them, caution the WHO as it issues its first advice on the drugs.
Considering more than one billion individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is advocating for broader and more equitable access to GLP-1 medication.
Based on forecasts, over two billion could be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidance affirms that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be managed with holistic and lifelong care," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are significant barriers to universal access to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing substantial body mass, says the agency.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Even under the current most favorable case, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, per the WHO.
The advice urges governments and firms to increase access, by measures including patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the primary ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in a number of countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Operate
The injections mimick a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and boost the sense of being full so individuals eat less.
Patients typically start to lose weight after several weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Research suggests users may see weight return a year later of discontinuing the treatment, because their normal appetite resume.
Being overweight or obese elevates your likelihood for contracting diseases, like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight impacts people in all nations and was responsible for 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
