Fewer than a tenth of people who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy can access them, caution the global health agency as it issues its inaugural guidance on the medications.
With over a billion individuals worldwide currently living with obesity, it is calling for increased and just access to this class of drugs.
Based on projections, 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 support," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are significant barriers to broad access to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing significant body mass, notes the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even under the present most favorable outlook, the supply of such drugs might only reach approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, according to the WHO.
The advice calls on countries and companies to widen access, by approaches like voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the primary component of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Jabs Function
These medications mimick a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and increase the sense of being full so people reduce food intake.
Patients typically see weight reduction in the initial weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Studies points to users may put most of the weight back on after a year of stopping the treatment, because their usual food cravings return.
Being overweight or obese elevates your chance for developing medical conditions, including diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain cancers.
Excess weight impacts individuals in all nations and was responsible for 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.