Under one in 10 patients eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy are able to get them, caution the global health agency as it publishes its first advice on the medications.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable availability to GLP-1 medication.
Based on estimates, more than two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidance recognises that obesity is a chronic disease that can be managed with holistic and continuous support," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are key hurdles to universal availability to the injections that can help people shift substantial weight, notes the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Even in the current best projected case, the manufacturing of these medications would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, according to the health organization.
The recommendation urges nations and manufacturers to widen availability, through strategies like patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the primary component of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in several nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Function
GLP-1 drugs mimick a biological compound to slow digestion, reduce hunger and boost the sense of being full so individuals reduce food intake.
Individuals usually start to lose weight within a few weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Research points to users may regain a significant portion a year later of discontinuing the medication, when their normal food cravings resume.
Being carrying excess weight increases your likelihood for developing diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and some cancers.
Obesity concerns people in countries worldwide and was associated with 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
