Fewer than a tenth of people eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy can access them, states the global health agency as it releases its inaugural guidance on the therapies.
Given more than one billion people worldwide currently obese, it is advocating for increased and just access to this class of drugs.
Based on forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The new guidelines affirms that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be treated with thorough and lifelong support," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are key obstacles to widespread access to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing significant body mass, notes the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even in the present most optimistic case, the manufacturing of such drugs would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the WHO.
The advice encourages nations and manufacturers to expand access, via approaches such as voluntary licensing.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the primary component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in several nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Injections Operate
The injections mimick a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and enhance feelings of fullness so users eat less.
Patients typically begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Research indicates users may regain a significant portion a year later of discontinuing the medication, as their usual food cravings resume.
Being carrying excess weight increases your chance for experiencing medical conditions, like diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Excess weight affects people in countries worldwide and was associated with over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
