Less 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 issues its first recommendations on the therapies.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is calling for broader and more equitable availability to these injectable treatments.
According to forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidelines recognises that obesity is a chronic disease that can be treated with thorough and ongoing treatment," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are key hurdles to universal availability to the treatments that can help people shift considerable body mass, notes the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Even in the current most favorable scenario, the production of these medications might only reach approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, as stated by the WHO.
The recommendation encourages nations and manufacturers to widen access, via approaches like patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the primary ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in several nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Drugs Operate
GLP-1 drugs imitate a biological compound to slow digestion, curb appetite and enhance the sense of being full so people eat less.
People typically start to lose weight after several weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Studies indicates people may see weight return within a year of halting the medication, because their usual hunger return.
To be above a healthy weight elevates your likelihood for developing health problems, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and certain cancers.
Obesity affects individuals in countries worldwide and was associated with millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
