Fewer than one in 10 individuals that would benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy can access them, states the global health agency as it issues its initial recommendations on the drugs.
Considering over a billion people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is urging increased and just access to this class of drugs.
According to forecasts, over two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our new guidance recognises that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with holistic and lifelong support," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are major hurdles to broad access to the injections that can help people shift considerable weight, notes the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Even under the current most favorable outlook, the manufacturing of such drugs would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, per the WHO.
The guideline encourages governments and firms to increase access, through approaches like patent sharing.
A patent on a key compound – the primary component of a leading brand – is set to lapse in several countries in 2026.
How Obesity Drugs Operate
These medications imitate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and boost satiety so individuals eat less.
Individuals usually start to lose weight in the initial weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Research indicates patients may see weight return after a year of discontinuing the treatment, when their usual food cravings return.
Being overweight or obese elevates your likelihood for developing medical conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Excess weight concerns individuals in every country and was associated with millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
