Fewer than one in 10 individuals eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy are able to get them, caution the global health agency as it publishes its first advice on the therapies.
Given more than one billion individuals worldwide now obese, it is calling for increased and just availability to these injectable treatments.
Per estimates, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The latest guidance affirms that obesity is a long-term condition that can be treated with thorough and lifelong treatment," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are major obstacles to universal access to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing significant body mass, explains the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even in the present most favorable case, the manufacturing of these medications could only cover about 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, according to the WHO.
The guideline urges governments and firms to widen access, by measures like licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the main ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in multiple countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Jabs Work
The injections mimick a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and increase satiety so individuals consume fewer calories.
Patients usually see weight reduction within a few weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence suggests users may put most of the weight back on after a year of discontinuing the drug, as their usual food cravings return.
To be above a healthy weight raises your chance for developing health problems, including diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight concerns people in every country and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
