Less than one in 10 people eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy can access them, caution the global health agency as it releases its initial guidance on the drugs.
Given more than one billion individuals worldwide currently classified as obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer availability to these injectable treatments.
Per estimates, more than two billion could be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidelines affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be addressed with holistic and lifelong treatment," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are significant barriers to broad access to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing substantial body mass, explains the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even in the present most optimistic outlook, the supply of GLP-1 therapies could only cover approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, per the WHO.
The recommendation calls on nations and manufacturers to increase access, by strategies including patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the primary ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple nations in 2026.
How Obesity Drugs Work
GLP-1 drugs replicate a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and enhance feelings of fullness so users consume fewer calories.
Patients typically see weight reduction within a few weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Research indicates people may put most of the weight back on after a year of halting the treatment, because their typical appetite resume.
Being above a healthy weight elevates your chance for experiencing diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some cancers.
Obesity affects individuals in countries worldwide and was responsible for over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
