Fewer than a tenth of people that would benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy are able to get them, states the global health agency as it publishes its first guidance on the drugs.
With over a billion individuals worldwide currently obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable access to GLP-1 medication.
Based on forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidelines acknowledges that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be treated with comprehensive and continuous treatment," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are major barriers to broad availability to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing substantial weight, says the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even under the current most favorable scenario, the production of these medications might only reach about 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, per the health organization.
The advice encourages governments and firms to increase availability, via strategies like patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the core component of a leading brand – is set to lapse in multiple countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Injections Work
The injections mimick a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and boost the sense of being full so people eat less.
Patients commonly see weight reduction after several weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Evidence indicates people may see weight return a year later of halting the medication, because their typical food cravings come back.
To be overweight or obese increases your risk for contracting health problems, such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight impacts individuals in all nations and was associated with 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
