Less than one in 10 people that would benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy can access them, states the global health agency as it issues its inaugural advice on the medications.
Considering over a billion people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer access to GLP-1 medication.
Based on estimates, over two billion could be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidelines affirms that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with holistic and lifelong support," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are major obstacles to universal access to the injections that can aid individuals in losing considerable weight, notes the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Even in the present most optimistic case, the manufacturing of these medications might only reach approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the health organization.
The guideline encourages governments and firms to increase availability, through measures like licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the core ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in several nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Jabs Work
These medications mimick a body's own hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and boost satiety so individuals eat less.
Individuals commonly begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Evidence points to users may put most of the weight back on within a year of discontinuing the drug, when their usual food cravings come back.
Being above a healthy weight raises your likelihood for contracting diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and specific cancers.
Obesity impacts individuals in every country and was responsible for millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
