Fewer than 10% of people that would benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy are able to get them, warns the World Health Organization as it publishes its inaugural guidance on the therapies.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide currently obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable access to these injectable treatments.
Per estimates, over two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The new guidelines affirms that obesity is a chronic disease that can be managed with thorough and ongoing support," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are major obstacles to broad access to the injections that can help people shift substantial weight, says the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Even under the current best projected case, the production of these medications might only reach around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, per the health organization.
The advice encourages governments and firms to increase availability, by measures such as patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the primary component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in several countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Work
These medications replicate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and boost feelings of fullness so individuals eat less.
People usually begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Research points to people may put most of the weight back on within a year of discontinuing the drug, when their normal food cravings return.
Being above a healthy weight raises your likelihood for contracting medical conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight affects people in countries worldwide and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
