Under 10% of patients eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy are able to get them, states the WHO as it releases its initial recommendations on the therapies.
Given over a billion individuals worldwide now classified as obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer access to GLP-1 medication.
According to forecasts, more than two billion could be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidance recognises that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with thorough and lifelong treatment," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are major barriers to widespread availability to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing considerable body mass, explains the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Despite the present most optimistic case, the supply of these medications would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, according to the WHO.
The recommendation calls on countries and companies to widen availability, through measures including patent sharing.
A patent on the active ingredient – the main ingredient of a leading brand – is set to lapse in a number of nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Function
GLP-1 drugs mimick a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and boost the sense of being full so individuals reduce food intake.
Patients usually see weight reduction within a few weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Studies suggests patients may regain a significant portion after a year of stopping the drug, as their typical appetite resume.
Being above a healthy weight increases your likelihood for developing medical conditions, like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and some malignancies.
Obesity impacts individuals in all nations and was linked to millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
