Fewer than 10% of patients eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy have access to them, states the global health agency as it issues its first advice on the drugs.
Given over a billion people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is calling for increased and just access to these injectable treatments.
Per projections, over two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidance recognises that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with comprehensive and ongoing treatment," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are major hurdles to widespread access to the treatments that can help people shift significant body mass, explains the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Even in the current best projected case, the supply of such drugs might only reach about 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, as stated by the WHO.
The guideline urges nations and manufacturers to increase access, via approaches such as patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the primary component of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in a number of countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Function
The injections mimick a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and enhance satiety so people reduce food intake.
Individuals commonly see weight reduction in the initial weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Evidence indicates patients may see weight return a year later of discontinuing the medication, when their normal food cravings return.
Being above a healthy weight increases your likelihood for developing diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Excess weight concerns individuals in countries worldwide and was responsible for over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
