Fewer than 10% of individuals that would benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy have access to them, warns the global health agency as it publishes its first recommendations on the drugs.
With more than one billion people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer access to these injectable treatments.
Per estimates, over two billion will be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidelines affirms that obesity is a chronic disease that can be addressed with holistic and lifelong treatment," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are significant hurdles to universal availability to the jabs that can help people shift substantial weight, says the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Even under the current most optimistic case, the supply of such drugs might only reach around 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, per the WHO.
The advice calls on nations and manufacturers to increase access, via measures including voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the core ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Injections Work
These medications replicate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and boost satiety so people eat less.
Patients commonly see weight reduction after several weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Evidence suggests people may put most of the weight back on within a year of halting the medication, because their usual food cravings return.
Being above a healthy weight increases your risk for experiencing diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight impacts people in all nations and was associated with millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
